Blink
by Light Within Darkness
Summary: A collection of one-shots all based around crack yaoi or het KH pairings. Pairings range from Aerith/Goofy to Vexen/Riku Replica to Zexion/Fuu to everywhere in between. Enjoy the fluffy, funny, possibly angsty, and always super-cracky goodness!
1. Flower Garden

**Blink**

**By: YukaiChick**

**Author's Note:**** OK, I really should not be writing another new story. I have three stories out as it is, and none of them are finished. But when inspiration hits, it hits HARD. I was just psyched about doing this since I thought of it. And I couldn't wait at least until "Riku and Sora Make a Porno" was done to start. So I now proudly present to you, my third-new-story-while-all-the-other-stuff-is-still-unfinished: "Blink!"**

**This is basically a short story collection. It's going to be a collection of one-shots, all unrelated, except for one thing: They are all based on crack "Kingdom Hearts" pairings, such as SephirothxHades and ZexionxFuu. The stories will also all be canon, because I want to show how it could have happened. So it should be fun, and hopefully you guys will like it. **

**Reviews are, as always, greatly appreciated. If you hate my writing, please tell me where and how I can improve. BUT DO NOT FLAME ME. I can't stand flamers. Also, if you review, please give me some crack pairings you want to see in this. I'm not sure how many one-shots I'm going to write for this yet, but I need some pairings to work with.**

**DISCLAIMER:**** Yeah, right. THEY own ME. I own the laptop I'm writing this on and nothing else.**

**DEDICATION:**** For **moon maiden of time**, because she ROCKS and gave me tons of crack pairings to work with, including this one. She also reviews all my stuff, because she's awesome like that.**

**NOTES:**** This first story is set post-KH II, and besides the main pairing, there's also some CloudxAerith and a little CloudxTifa (because really, who knows what Cloud's thinking in that adorably spiky head of his?) I also had most of it typed up on the other computer, but then THE COMPUTER CRASHED AND IT'S GONE AND IT'S NOT COMING BACK. Fucking annoying. So I'm retyping on the laptop and I'll hope for the best… **

**Now on with the show!**

**PAIRING:**** AerithxGoofy**

**Flower Garden**

Aerith Gainsborough dug her trowel deep into the earth, loving how the rich, brown soil crumbled and fell away so easily, creating a perfect round hole. _Just like my heart is now_, she thought, gently placing a soft pink tulip into the hole and packing the dirt around it with one hand, while gently stroking its silken petals with her other finger.

Aerith loved the feel of the moist dirt in her hands. It was more refreshing to her than any food or drink could possibly be. She didn't care that it stained her strapless, knee-length pink and white dress in tracks of brown and green, or that it caught in the soles of her brown boots, or even that it turned her fingernails black. In the rare times she left the garden and went inside, she was always tracking in muddy footprints and leaving crumbs of dirt everywhere, much to Merlin's annoyance. But it didn't matter. She hadn't really left her garden since HE had left.

She could feel tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, as green as the first buds of spring, as the memory rose up within her. Unbidden and unwanted, but it came anyway, reaching up like bile in the throat. HE had come to Radiant Garden, with HIS spiky blond hair and eyes stained mako-blue and hard, like diamonds. She'd thought she could fix HIM, could make all HIS problems go away. She remembered long nights sitting up with HIM, as he polished HIS Buster Sword and told her stories about the One-Winged Angel, who HE hunted across the Universe. HE'd taken her for rides all over the city on HIS motorcycle, speeding through the streets until everything was a blur and popping wheelies. She'd clung to HIM for dear life, her brown hair whipping free of its orderly braids as she'd laughed harder than she had in years.

She had trusted him enough to take HIM to her garden, her sanctuary, which few people were allowed to casually visit and spend time in. Aerith had been so happy when she'd returned to Radiant Garden and found that the Heartless hadn't destroyed her beautiful garden! She'd shown HIM her herb patch, her vegetables, and best of all, her flowers. Aerith was happy to say that she had one of every kind of flower that could be found on Radiant Garden, and there were even a few rare varieties that only flourished in her little paradise. They'd sat for hours, dangling their feet in the shallow, bubbly brook that ran through the garden, just talking, and HE'd smiled, briefly, just for her.

She'd thought HE would stay with her, in Radiant Garden. Forever.

Then _she _had shown up. Tifa Lockhart, with her long black hair and chestnut eyes, telling him HE needed to go and save some World Aerith had never heard of. So she'd told him she understood, that HE should go and get things settled. Aerith had even given HIM her entire stock of Elixers before HE left, so that she could be sure that HE would be alright. HE'd smiled again, and had given her a beautiful pair of cloth gloves. _"So you don't get those pretty hands of yours dirty working in the garden."_

Then HE'd left with Tifa on a Gummi Ship.

Aerith had faithfully worn those gloves in the garden every day for two years. She'd waited for HIM and watched the skies every night, certain HIS Gummi Ship would descend from the skies and HE would jump out, giving her a smile and offering another ride on HIS motorcycle.

But then Sora, Donald, and Goofy returned from some far-off World. They'd told everyone how they'd seen HIM, married to Tifa and living in a small cottage at the edge of a grassy green meadow, surrounded by a herd of chocobos. And HE'd been so happy, laughing and smiling all the time.

Aerith had run out to her garden and thrown the gloves into the brook. As she watched the swift-flowing water carry them away, she'd cried, harder than she had in her entire life. For her heart was gone now. HE had taken it with HIM when HE'd left. And HE would never return now to give it back.

Now Aerith only found peace in her garden, and so she only left if the weather was too horrible for her to sleep out on the grass. Merlin's house had just become unbearable. Yuffie's fussing, Leon's pitying glances when he thought she wasn't looking, Cid's attempts at humor…Aerith knew they meant well, but she just couldn't stand it. So she stayed out by herself, trying not to think of the past.

"Aerith?"

Aerith whirled around, startled, a few pieces of hair flying free of her pink ribbon and into her eyes. She swiped them back into place and sighed inwardly when she saw who had spoken. "Oh…it's just you, Goofy."

"Uh-huh," Goofy nodded. "Sora asked me to come an' give ya some lunch. He's out trainin' today." He held out a wicker picnic basket covered in a checkered cloth. Aerith could see some of Merlin's home-baked bread poking out.

"Thank you, Goofy," Aerith gave him a tiny smile and gently took the basket off the dog-man's arm. "It was sweet of you to come out here."

"Not a problem," Goofy waved her off. "I jus' love lookin' at yer flowers. An' they smell real nice, too."

Aerith set the basket down, picked up her trowel, and began digging another hole in the flower bed, a little apart from the first one. One thing she really couldn't stand anymore was people in her garden, standing around, shuffling from foot to foot, and trying to bridge long, awkward silences.

Like Goofy was doing right now.

"Uh, Aerith?" When Goofy finally spoke again, he was so quiet Aerith thought for a moment she'd only imagined him talking, until he continued. "Why're ya always out here alone? You should come on back to Merlin's place. We all miss ya, Aerith. We're worried about ya."

Trust Goofy to ask the questions Aerith didn't want to answer. "Just…go away, Goofy," she said, trying to hold back more tears. "Please."

After a moment, Aerith heard long, loping footsteps crunching across the grass, and she knew Goofy had left.

Aerith took deep, shuddering breaths, trying to keep the tears back. It seemed all she did nowadays was cry. Then she happened to turn her head to the side, and her eyes fell on the reason she'd started digging a new hole to start with. She picked it up, gently twirling it between her fingers by its bright green stem.

She'd been thrilled when she'd found this flower growing amid a group of old, cracked stones in the old bailey yesterday. She'd only been expecting tedium, after all, when Yuffie had begged and wheedled her to come along on some errand or another. She'd never seen a plant like it before, and suspected it was the only one of its kind. The flower looked like a lily, with three long, curled golden petals striped with deep purple and long, thin, pale roots like threads of silk. It had taken Aerith an hour and a half to dig those roots out from the rocks without damaging them, working in the dank and dark of the bailey. But she had succeeded.

Suddenly, the wind picked up, whipping Aerith's dress around her knees. The flower, which she'd been holding loosely, was torn out of her hands.

"No!" Aerith raced after the flower as the wind blew it in crazy, looping spirals all over the garden. There wasn't another flower like that one on all of Radiant Garden. She had to have it!

But it was too late. The beautiful lily was blown into the brook before Aerith could grab it, and was quickly carried away by the swift current. Aerith had no idea where it could have gone.

"No…" She sank to her knees on the banks of the brook and buried her face in her hands, staying like that for the rest of the afternoon.

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Later that evening the skies clouded over, and rain poured down in buckets. By the time Aerith got to Merlin's house, her clothes and hair were soaked through and dripping. She accepted a towel from Yuffie and lay down on one of the spare beds in the back room, quietly crying herself into a half-doze.

Aerith couldn't really sleep unless she was in her garden, so she was lying on the bed fully awake and listening to the rain when she heard the voice outside.

"Aerith?" It called up at the window. "You awake?"

She debated simply ignoring it as a figment of her imagination. It wouldn't have been the first time, after all, and everyone else was asleep, if Leon's snores in the next room were anything to go by.

"Hello?" The voice called again. "Should I come back later?"

Curiosity won out, and Aerith got up and tiptoed to the window. Standing outside in the pouring rain was Goofy, dripping wet and with a silly, yet oddly sweet, smile all over his face. Held out in his white-gloved hands was Aerith's striped lily, the one she'd thought lost forever.

Aerith nearly forgot to breathe. How had he…? She gestured for Goofy to wait, then ran quietly outside into the rain, not caring if she was barefoot and only in her nightgown.

Goofy gently placed the sodden, yet still-beautiful flower in her hand. "Don' be mad, Aerith, but I hung around an' watched ya in the garden fer a bit," he whispered. "So I saw yer flower blow away, and ya looked so sad…It, uh, caught on a bush a little ways downstream, so I rescued it after it started rainin' an' you went inside."

Aerith again felt tears springing to her eyes, but these were different. These were tears of pure joy. For in this moment, she knew she would be alright. She would survive, without a doubt. After all, she had all her friends at her side, to help and to guide her through any storm. Aerith put a hand on her chest, surprised at the warmth she felt there. Her heart, it seemed, had finally returned to her.

"Thank you so much, Goofy. For everything." She held out her hand to the dog-man. "Listen, I know it's late, and it's raining, but would you like to come with me to the garden? To help me plant this?"

A large, white-gloved hand slipped into her own. "I'd love to, Aerith," was Goofy's quiet response.

**Author's Note:**** Well, there's your AerithxGoofy. Bit of post-Valentine's Day super-fluffy goodness for you. It was SUPPOSED to be out last weekend, but better late than never, I guess. (kicks computer)**

**I know it's just fluff, but that's because the thought of a Disney character doing more than that kind of scares me. O.o**

**Reviews/Constructive Criticism are appreciated, flames aren't.**

**NEXT PAIRING:**** ZexionxFuu**


	2. Ordinary Day

**Author's Note:**** Oh look, I've written more het. Wow. I don't know what's gotten into me lately. Really.**

**Reviews are appreciated-I check my Reader Traffic, so I KNOW somebody's reading this. Please leave a comment! If you think this story sucks, please tell me why. As always, please don't flame me; I don't have the time or the patience.**

**DEDICATION:**** To **moon maiden of time**, who is awesome and rocks and was the only one who reviewed this Fic so far. Thank you SO much! :D**

**DISCLAIMER:**** One of these days…but not today. I don't own "Kingdom Hearts," "Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories," or "Kingdom Hearts II." That honor belongs to Square Enix, Tetsuya Nomura, and Disney, Inc. I make no money off writing this Fic. NOT A CENT. Which stinks, cuz I could use the cash…(lol)**

**NOTES:**** This Fic takes place just as the events of "Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories" start to occur, just before Zexion shows up. I know Roxas probably left after "Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories," but for the sake of the story, let's pretend he left just as Sora arrived in Castle Oblivion. It's also set in the real Twilight Town, as opposed to the one DiZ made for Roxas to live in before Sora woke up. It was implied in-game that no one from the actual Twilight Town knew Roxas (since he didn't really exist anyway) so I'm just running with that assumption for this Fic. I'm also assuming that the Twilight Town kids all have families…I mean, they have to be living with SOMEBODY, right?**

**Now let's get this party started.**

**PAIRING:**** ZexionxFuu **

**Ordinary Day**

It was just an ordinary day for the inhabitants of quiet, sleepy little Twilight Town, a world not threatened by darkness. The citizens went about their everyday business, such as chores, jobs, schoolwork, or just goofing off, in a relaxed and calm way. Every aspect of their lives, from their perpetual smiles to their ways of moving and speaking, reflected the views of a people who are completely, utterly content with their lives and live them without a care in the world.

Fuu hated it.

Living in Twilight Town, as far as she was concerned, was completely, utterly _boring_. Nothing ever happened, and she doubted anything ever would. Everyone around her was boring and predictable-well, almost everyone. Her three best friends, Seifer, Rai, and Vivi, were interesting enough. But even they could get annoying at times, with Seifer's huge ego, Rai's inferiority complex, and Vivi's…well, Vivi-ness. Still, she'd hung around with them ever since she was six, when Seifer had rescued her from a gang of bullies down an alleyway she'd used as a shortcut. They were the only ones in town, Fuu's parents included, who didn't mind that she was quiet, not saying more than one or two words at a time. There wasn't anything _to_ say, as far as Fuu was concerned, and she certainly wasn't going to start crapping words out like everyone else in town, jabbering on about the weather and other such nonsense. She couldn't stand that.

And today, unfortunately, seemed like it would be an especially boring day. Seifer hadn't felt like stirring up trouble with Hayner's gang (which would have livened things up, in Fuu's opinion) and had instead decided to get in some early practice for the Struggle match at the end of summer. Despite the fact that it was only the end of spring now, he and Rai were currently beating the shit out of each other with the standard blue foam Struggle bats. Usually, Fuu would have Vivi's company during this tedium, but Vivi's mother had dragged him across town to go shopping for new clothes today. So Fuu was even more bored than usual, watching Seifer and Rai act stupid and idly wondering why the town put so much importance on a sport where two people hit at each other with foam bats, anyway.

Just then, out of the corner of one dark brown eye, Fuu saw a swirl of black fabric. It appeared and disappeared in the space between two buildings faster than she could blink.

This was extremely unusual, because no one in Twilight Town ever wore black. Ever. The town lived under a perpetual sunset (practically the only interesting thing about it, in Fuu's opinion, and even that got old real quick) so all the town's inhabitant's wore bright, cheerful colors to match the skies. Reds, oranges, yellows, light blues, the occasional light purple or violet, whites-these were the colors you saw on the inhabitants of Twilight Town, day in and day out. It was like an unspoken dress code. Only Seifer's gang dared to wear a little black, and even they paired it with brighter colors, such as Seifer's white trench coat and Rai's orange tank top. Plus, Seifer and Rai were right in front of Fuu, and Vivi wouldn't be back until this evening.

At first, Fuu wondered if she hadn't simply imagined it. But she'd never been the type of girl to conjure up weird things. She prided herself on being sensible and down to earth, always keeping her head in a tough situation. So that swirl of black _had_ to be real.

And as a member of the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee (a.k.a. Seifer's Gang) it was Fuu's job to check out and…dispose of…any potentially dangerous strangers. Anyone wearing large amounts of black was definitely not a native of Twilight Town. She opened her mouth to alert Seifer and Rai to the danger.

"Hey, Rai!" Seifer yelled. "Betcha I can hit that lamppost from here!"

"No way!" Rai responded, arms folded across his chest. "I bet even Setzer couldn't hit a lamppost from all the way across the Sandlot, y'know?"

"Oh yeah?! How much munny you wanna bet on that?"

…On second thought, Fuu would just go check it out herself. Wasn't like the boys would miss her. So she stood up in one quick, fluid gesture, yanking up the dark collar of her midnight blue tank top and tucking her head inside it in order to hide her unusual, chin-length silver hair. No one in Twilight Town had silver hair but Fuu and the town Struggle champion, Setzer, who was the idol of Fuu's entire high school class. Because of this, Fuu often found herself asked if she was related to him, something she took great offense to.

Fuu ran down the narrow alley space between the two buildings where she'd seen the black streak, her baggy khaki capris making a soft swishing noise as she went and her light blue and white sneakers padding quietly along the cobblestones. She ran around several corners without seeing any sign of people dressed in black. Finally, she ended up just outside the tiny, dead-end courtyard where Mrs. Takashi often got bee infestations and hired local kids to help her get rid of them.

But today, there were no bees. Rather, standing still as a statue in the center of the courtyard, there was a person dressed head to foot in a long black coat.

Fuu hid quietly behind one of the buildings surrounding the courtyard, and peered around it at the figure. She'd never seen someone dressed so oddly-Twilight Town was fairly warm even during the winter, and it was late spring now. The person had to be sweltering in that long coat, which was coupled with black boots and gloves.

Fuu had a feeling the person was a man-something about the way he held himself told her so, despite the fact that his back was to her. The coat was pretty form-fitting, and Fuu could see that he was thin and slight for a guy. He was also on the short side, only slightly taller than Fuu herself. But the oddest thing about him was his hair. It was only slightly longer than Seifer's, ending at the nape of his neck. And it was as gray as the storm clouds that frequented Twilight Town in late July.

Fuu had never seen a young man (she could tell he was young as well, by some odd kind of intuition she'd learned not to doubt) with gray hair before. That was even stranger than someone dressed all in black. By this point, Fuu was starting to get nervous. She wondered how this person had gotten to Twilight Town, and more importantly, whether or not he had any weapons hidden under his coat. Fuu was already doubting his sanity, as he'd been standing stock-still in the middle of the courtyard for several minutes already. She was starting to regret not taking the boys with her after all.

Fuu started looking around for something she could use as a weapon, just in case. Only a few feet away from her was a nicely sized piece of plywood that would do in a pinch. She began inching her way over to it, willing herself to move as quietly as possible and even holding her breath a little. And she probably would have been able to get to it, too-if her foot hadn't accidentally hit a pebble, which bounced off against the side of a building with a clatter that was nearly deafening in the silence.

Panic froze Fuu's body in place. Despite her brain screaming at her, "_RUN, YOU IDIOT_!" she couldn't move an inch.

The man whipped around, a thick white book appearing in his hand. Despite the fact that she might die or sustain severe injury, Fuu couldn't help but notice that the man's hair was longer in the front than in the back, a long sweep of bangs stretching down almost to his chin and covering up half his face, including one of his eyes. The one eye Fuu could see was a deep, piercing blue, and fixed on her instantly.

"Who are you?" The man's voice rang out clear as crystal in the empty courtyard.

Fuu couldn't speak. She could only stare at this strange man, dark chocolate eyes wide.

"Answer me!" The man moved his book slightly so it was in front of him. Fuu could see strange, swirling silver script on the front in a language she couldn't read.

"F-Fuu," she finally managed to stutter out.

"What are you doing here?"

"N-Nothing." She couldn't seem to get rid of that nervous stutter, and the man's eyes narrowed further.

"Tell me, Fuu," he said, a little softer. "Do you live here?"

"Yes."

"Good." The slate-haired man leaned against the wall of a building, tucking the book away in a pocket of his coat. "I'm looking for someone. Do you know of a boy with dark blond hair, swept up on one side like this?" The man pushed up one side of his hair to show her, though unfortunately not the side covering his face, which Fuu found herself wondering about. Still, the gesture seemed a little silly, and Fuu found herself stifling a giggle. One thing she did _not_ do was giggle.

"He also has blue eyes, and he's around fifteen or sixteen," the man went on. "I need to find him rather quickly, you see. He's…a relative, and he's lost."

Seifer's gang knew everyone in Twilight Town. They had to, in order to make sure no strangers got in and, as Seifer put it, "mess up the place." So Fuu knew that there were no boys in Twilight Town with dark blond hair like that, or with light blue eyes, who were fifteen or sixteen. The only blond boys her age were Seifer and Hayner, and Seifer wore his hair down in longish, greasy locks, while Hayner's was cropped short.

Fuu shook her head at the slate-haired man.

"I see." The man sighed, and cast his eyes down to the cobblestones. Fuu relaxed a little, since the man didn't seem about to harm her, and leaned against the building opposite him. "Where could he be, if not here?" She heard the man mutter to himself.

"Thank you for your help, Fuu." The slate-haired man nodded at her. " I'll take my leave now." He turned to go…but paused at the mouth of the alley.

"You have…very nice hair," he said softly. "I knew several people who had silver hair like yours." He gave a dry chuckle. "Now why did I say that? It's not like me to be sentimental."

He turned on his heel and headed out of the courtyard.

"Wait!"

Fuu had no idea why she'd called for the man to stop. Even at the time she'd known it was foolish. But she had to know why he'd appeared in her life-why he'd shattered the normalcy that had made up her days until that moment.

Still, the man stopped and turned back to face Fuu, looking at her expectantly.

"Your name?" She asked.

The man laughed again, but there was no humor in it. "It doesn't matter," he said. "You'd only forget." And with that, he bolted away from her out of the courtyard, coat flapping out behind him, disappearing around a building.

A few minutes later, when Fuu got over her shock and raced after him, he was gone. There wasn't a trace of him anywhere. It was as if he'd never been to Twilight Town at all.

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Fuu didn't know why she woke up so suddenly that night. She thought later on it might have been some little noise that startled her awake, such as an animal playing around on her roof, but she couldn't be sure. And she certainly didn't know how the mysterious slate-haired man from earlier got into her room, since she locked her doors and windows each night, no matter what the weather. But there he was nonetheless, standing on the other end of her room by her desk, as still as if he were made of marble. His eyes were fixed on her.

Fuu had never been a screaming kind of person, so even though this was a situation that would cause any other girl to scream bloody murder and hope the guy ran off, Fuu didn't. She stared at him, dark eyes wide and wondering.

"Zexion," the man said by way of greeting. "My name is Zexion."

"Zex…ion," Fuu rolled the strange name over her tongue, tasting it in her mouth. "Zexion."

"I apologize for coming in here and disturbing your sleep," Zexion said, even though he'd been perfectly silent and Fuu had woken up on her own. "I couldn't get you out of my head, and I don't know why."

"…Oh." Fuu didn't know what he wanted her to say, and she didn't want to admit that he was the only thing she'd been thinking about, either. Not yet, anyway.

"You don't talk very much, do you?" Fuu thought she saw a small smile on Zexion's face, but it was dark, and she couldn't be sure.

"No."

"That's all right." Zexion moved quietly over to the side of her bed, and Fuu sat up a little straighter, her blanket slipping down to her ankles. "I'm surrounded by chatterboxes, and I don't like it at all."

Fuu couldn't believe Zexion was this close to her. This was all happening so fast…She had to be dreaming.

"I'm leaving," Zexion continued. "I'm going…very far away, and I don't know when I'll be able to come back. _If_ I'll be able to come back."

"Why?" Fuu didn't know why her breath was hitching in her chest.

"My…superior…is reassigning me there," Zexion whispered.

They were both silent for a few minutes longer, desperately drinking each other in.

Fuu saw a hand stretch out, pale and white in the darkness, and gently smooth away the long bangs covering Zexion's face. His hair felt soft and almost ethereal, like brushing against a bird's wing.

It took her a moment to realize that hand was _hers_, and that she was staring into Zexion's whole face, both of those impossibly blue eyes wide and staring at her in shock. Fuu doubted anyone had touched the man's hair before save for him.

Fuu didn't know how it happened, but suddenly she was kissing Zexion, tasting sweet rainwater with a hint of fresh blackberries. She didn't want to admit it, but it was her first kiss, and Zexion was amazing, gentle and tender. She blushed red as a cherry when they pulled away, breathing hard.

"I-" Fuu started.

But Zexion placed a gloved hand gently over her lips and shook his head. "No," he whispered. "They're just words, Fuu. People try to put how they feel into words all the time. That's why there's so much conflict in the world. Some things…just cannot be said."

Zexion then laid his head gently on Fuu's chest, right atop her pounding heart. Fuu stiffened, staring down at the gray-haired head. She wasn't experienced in these matters at all, but she didn't think anyone did _this _after kissing all the same. "Please," Zexion murmured. "I need this. Only for a few moments, I promise."

So Fuu relaxed back against her pillows, enjoying the feel of Zexion's soft hair and warm head against her chest. And Zexion loved the sound of Fuu's beating heart. It made him feel like he had a heart of his own, and he could ignore the tight ache in his empty chest cavity for a little while.

The two laid like that for a long while, not moving or speaking, only listening and feeling. Fuu occasionally played with a few strands of Zexion's hair in an almost unconscious gesture, marvelling at their softness. Zexion leaned ever-so-slightly into her touch, and the faintest ghost of a smile touched his lips, something Fuu thought seemed utterly foreign and yet so _right_ on his face.

Suddenly, Zexion was sitting ramrod straight in Fuu's bed, staring hard and disbelievingly out the window. Fuu followed his gaze and saw that the sun was getting brighter in the sky, lighting up the whole town with a soft orange glow. It was what passed for a sunrise in Twilight Town, since the sun never actually rose.

"I'm sorry." Zexion leapt to his feet. "I have to get back. I've stayed too long as it is. Damn, I didn't realize what time it was…"

Muttering quiet curses, Zexion absentmindedly smoothed Fuu's bedcovers, as if to hide any traces of his having been there and bewildering Fuu even more. Then he went to the window and flung it wide, letting fresh, cool morning air waft through the bedroom and gently ruffle their hair.

Fuu didn't remember getting out of bed or moving over to Zexion. All she knew was that she was probably never going to see him again, and she was kissing him, hard and fast. And he was kissing her back. Zexion nipped gently at her lower lip, and Fuu gasped at the contact, allowing Zexion's tongue to snake into her mouth. Their tongues wove together, wrestling and sliding, and their teeth clashed, and Fuu was drowning in blackberries and rainwater and Zexion Zexion ZEXION.

The two broke apart for air, breathing hard and fast. Fuu's heart felt as if it were going to burst from her ribcage at any moment. She felt an arm slip around her waist and draw her close against Zexion's chest. Not really thinking, just feeling, she looped her arms around his neck and tangled her hands in his air, burying her head in the soft material of his coat. And they held each other like that for a few moments.

Then Zexion gently pushed her away.

"Thank you, Fuu," he whispered. "I'll always remember this."

Then he leapt out the open window, and Fuu watched as he landed with inhuman grace on two feet right on the ground outside, even though her room was on the second story. He pulled the hood of his coat up over his head, hiding his face and becoming another nameless shadow to flit about the street corners. Then he ran off, around the corner and out of sight.

Fuu stayed watching the corner where Zexion had disappeared for a few minutes longer, then went back to her bed and watch the sun come to its full brightness.

It had just been an ordinary day for Fuu.

Until a slate-haired man in a black coat came along and changed everything.

**Author's Note:**** It's FINALLY done! Yay! It was supposed to be done this past weekend, but with one thing and another (otherwise known as WORK) I just couldn't find the time to write. **

**I fairly agonized over this story, too. It wasn't easy to write, since Fuu only speaks one or two words at a time and Zexion doesn't give off an air of talking much, either. I guess I thought they'd be a good couple for that reason, though. (But Zexion talked a lot in "Kingdom Hearts RE: Chain of Memories," so go figure.) Anyway, since Fuu is a very minor character in the game, it was really hard to avoid OOC-ness, but I hope I managed OK. If they're a little OOC, I'm sorry. I've never written Fuu before, and I only wrote Zexion before once in a short little AU one-shot.**

**The original version of this was way longer, but after their first encounter in the little courtyard I saw I was already at five pages, and I didn't want to have this story drag on forever like some of my other stuff has. I also wanted to have Fuu find out Zexion was a Nobody, but I just couldn't fit that in there. Besides, it occurred to me that Zexion might be a bit ashamed of the whole not-having-a-heart thing (which is why he doesn't break down in tears or say "I love you" at all in the Fic) so maybe it's just as well.**

**Well, I'm ending here. You probably don't care about Why The Story's Not The Same Here As It Was In My Head…this is just here on the off-chance that you do.**

**REVIEW CORNER**** Thanks for Reviewing:**

moon maiden of time

If you cared enough to get this far, you should care enough to tell me why. And if you have any crack pairings you want to see in this thing, give me those too. I can always use ideas.

**NEXT WEEK'S PAIRING:**** SephirothxHades**


	3. Soulless

**Author's Note:**** Should I be working on the next chapter of "Riku and Sora Make a Porno" right now? Yeah, I probably should be. But writer's block is a BITCH. Plus, this story was just crying to be written, and I want to celebrate having FINALLY beat "Kingdom Hearts RE: Chain of Memories," (yeah!) so I'll indulge my obsession with one-shots and crack pairings a little further and write it.**

**This is "Blink's" first yaoi pairing! As they say in France…Youpi! (I think that means "hooray," but I'm not sure.)**

**NOTES:**** There will be some "Final Fantasy VII" references in this story, but you guys are smart enough to pick those up. If you don't understand anything, just PM me and I'll answer your questions. It's implied in-game that Cloud and Sephiroth are not from Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden, so I'm going to assume they're from Midgar and run with that for this Fic. This story takes place during "Kingdom Hearts," anytime when Sora isn't at the Olympic Coliseum.**

**DEDICATION:**** This one's for **Dlbn**, because she rawks. She works really hard on her stories too, and it shows. Dlbn-chan, this story is probably the crackiest thing I've ever written, and I hope you enjoy it.**

**DISCLAIMER:**** Square Enix, Tetsuya Nomura, and Disney, Inc. pwn all, I own nothing. **

**WARNING:**** This story is dark. As in, something bad happens to a Disney character dark. (Hey, not all crack pairings are cute.) So I would suggest not showing this story to any young children who might be in your house, because they will tell your parents you're reading some crazy Internet shit and you will get in trouble. ;) **

**Reviews and constructive criticism are love. Flames are not.**

**All right, let's do this!**

**PAIRING:**** SephirothxHades**

**Soulless**

"I told ya, you're not gettin' in!" The short, fat satyr cowers behind a thick stone column in the lobby of the Olympic Coliseum. He sticks his short head out from behind the column to see if his unwanted visitor is still there, squinty eyes peering across the tiny lobby around a thick, bulbous nose.

Said unwanted visitor is glaring at him with cold, unfeeling green eyes. His silver hair falls down to his waist, and he's dressed entirely in black leather. On top of all that, he has a single, large, black-feathered wing stretching up out of his back, the tips of which are brushing the Coliseum lobby ceiling. His hand is fingering a sword strapped to his back in a threatening manner.

The satyr has seen a lot of things in his time running the Olympic Coliseum games, but he's never seen anything like this man. Not being a brave hero like those who often visit the Coliseum, he has no way of handling the newcomer.

"You will allow me entrance to your games," the stranger deadpans, in a voice as cold as his eyes. "Or…" He removes the sword from his back, a long, thin blade that's easily seven feet long. In another time and place, it was known as the Masamune, and people only dared to whisper the name at night, safe in their warm, cozy houses. Even then, they would go pale and stuttering from fear.

The silver-haired man levels Masamune at the satyr, who yelps and hides behind the column again. He can feel the goat-man trembling, and allows himself a tiny smirk.

Sephiroth, the One-Winged Angel, loves it when people fear him-loves the thrill it sends down his spine, the rush of power.

"H-Herc!" The satyr yells. "Get out here! We got a problem!"

A tall, muscular man rushes into the lobby. "What's going on, Phil?" He asks, in a very heroic and brave voice. He's wearing an extremely short brown toga that shows off a lot of leg, and Sephiroth thinks anyone wearing something like that can't be entirely straight. His hair is reddish-brown and rather curly, ending at the nape of his neck, and is held back with a headband. The eyes are a bright baby blue, and Sephiroth is sure this man's not the hero the satyr thinks him to be. He's too innocent.

"That guy!" A short, trembling arm reaches out from behind Phil's hiding place, and waves in Sephiroth's general direction. "He wanted in to the games, but he didn't have a ticket. So I told him no entry without a ticket, but he wouldn't leave!"

"Are you bothering my friend here?" The Hero narrows his eyes at Sephiroth, and his hand moves to the short broadsword at his side. "I'm afraid you're going to have to leave now, sir."

Sephiroth wonders if he should simply kill them and enter the games anyway. He _knows_ Cloud is in there, he can _feel_ him, and he wants so desperately to end the spiky-headed blond's existence once and for all. Cloud has been a nuisance to him for too long. He wants to hear the boy scream as he stabs him with Masamune, over and over again.

But killing this "hero," while it won't take too much of Sephiroth's time, wouldn't be as easy as the silver-haired man wants it to be. Sephiroth can see he's strong. And Cloud has nearly killed him before, so Sephiroth knows it would be taking too much of a risk to be at anything less than full strength when they finally do battle.

So Sephiroth sheaths his blade and walks out without another word, determined to find another way in. Phil and his friend watch him leave, Phil breathing a deep sigh of relief as the lobby door slams shut. Sephiroth is, of course, on the wrong side of it.

He walks out into the center of the courtyard outside the Coliseum. On the outside he's perfectly calm, but inside he's seething. He _has_ to find a way in! Sephiroth can almost feel Cloud Strife's dead body, skewered perfectly across Masamune. His spiky blond locks would be stained scarlet with his own blood. His eyes, colored that eerie shade of blue from years of dangerous exposure to high levels of mako, would be wide open in shock and disbelief at his death-

"The old goat won't let you in to the games, eh?"

Sephiroth whirls around, his black trench coat flapping out behind him. In less than a second Masamune is in his hand, gleaming hard silver in the bright Olympic sunlight. When he sees who the speaker is he relaxes his stance slightly, but his eyes are narrowed and harder than ever. "Hades," he says. Although Sephiroth's tone of voice doesn't change at all, one can tell he isn't happy to see the God of the Underworld.

Not that Hades is making any attempt to hide who he is this time. He's here in his true form, blue-gray skin and all. His mouth is twisted up into a sadistic sneer, showing every one of his sharp fangs, and his yellow eyes practically shine with delight at seeing Sephiroth. Not to mention, his hair is a burst of bright blue flames.

Sephiroth is secretly glad that his black toga goes down past his feet and covers everything.

"It's been awhile since I saw you last, Sephy," Hades continues as if Sephiroth hasn't spoken, beginning to slowly pace across the courtyard. "It's been, what? Three years since you escaped my Underworld and rejoined the land of the living?"

Sephiroth knows that Hades knows exactly how long its been since he's gotten out of that hell, and he's not in the mood for mind games. "What do you want?" He nearly growls out of anger.

"It's not about what I want, kiddo," Sephiroth knows that smirk too well, and isn't at all fooled. "It's about what YOU want. And you want into those games so you can kill Strife, right?"

"…Go on."

"Well, have I got a deal for you then!" Hades' grin is so wide that Sephiroth is surprised his face isn't split right in two. "I got one of the goat's passes that'll get you into the Coliseum pronto, no questions asked."

But Sephiroth has spent too long in the hateful god's company, and knows how he works. "You want something in return for this." His eyes are green slits now. "What?"

"Hey hey hey!" Hades puts his hands up in a placating gesture. "What makes you think I wanted something at all? It wounds me, Sephy, how little you trust me."

"Cut the crap, Hades."

"Well, since you asked…" Hades looks like a kid in a candy store, about to get a treat he really wants. "I'll give you the pass if you give me a kiss."

Sephiroth can't believe Hades' audacity. The nerve of him, to ask for something like that! …And just like that, a plan forms in the silver-haired man's mind.

"It's just a kiss. What better deal could there be?" Hades holds out his hand, and in a puff of black smoke a scrap of purple paper appears. He dangles it before Sephiroth, and that smirk is back on his face. "What, are you scared of kissing me?"

"I'll do it," says Sephiroth, and he walks forward and grasps the God of the Underworld around the waist. His skin is surprisingly warm, despite its ashy pallor. Then he leans forward and kisses him, right on the mouth.

Hades gasps slightly, probably from the speed at which Sephiroth is doing this, and Sephiroth takes the opportunity to slip his tongue into the god's mouth, tracing slowly up and down each of his sharp teeth. Hades tastes like hot iron, stinging and smoky and burning, a metallic flavor on everything. It almost makes Sephiroth's eyes water.

Hades appears to gain back some of his bravado, and he kisses Sephiroth back, his thin lips sucking hard. His long black tongue slips into Sephiroth's mouth, lapping at the back of his throat…

…And it's then Hades discovers that Sephiroth tastes like _blood_, hot and wet and sticky.

The god draws back, abruptly breaking off the kiss. His eyes are wide with shock. "What…?" He whispers.

Then he feels a sharp, piercing pain in his gut, bad enough to make him scream. Falling to his knees, he looks down and sees the blade of Masamune sticking straight through him, turning the great God of the Underworld into some sort of grotesque shish kebob.

Sephiroth, gripping the sword's hilt with a sadistic grin, thrusts it forward another few inches. This earns him another shriek from Hades, and he leans forward, his silver hair falling around the two like a curtain. His eyes are shining with a mad light.

"Foolish Hades," he whispers. "You steal the souls of mortals by kissing them, don't you? And you couldn't stand it that anyone had ever escaped from your precious Underworld. So you tracked me down and tried to steal my soul again, to drag me back down there, kicking and screaming.

"But you forgot one thing." Sephiroth leans into Hades' ear. The flames of the god's hair are singing his lips, but he doesn't even feel it, he's so consumed by the adrenaline rush that comes from a kill. "I have no soul. How can any one realm, whether it be Heaven, Hell, or Earth, permanently hold a being without a soul?"

Hades' eyes are practically bursting from his skull. He gasps and coughs, but words seem to have eluded him at the moment. Sephiroth leans over to Hades' hand, where the pass to get into the Olympic Games is crushed in the god's long fingers. The silver-haired man pries open Hades' hand and smooths out the pass, tucking it carefully away in a pocket of his black leather pants.

Black goo is starting to run from Hades like lava, steaming and burning little holes in the dirt where it touches. Sephiroth watches dispassionately as Hades' skin burns red and his hair erupts into a blazing inferno.

"NO! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!" The god cries, as he sinks deep into the earth. The Underworld appears to be sucking him in so that he can regain his strength. Sephiroth can see the fiery blaze of Hades' hellish realm far below. "I CAN'T HAVE BEEN DEFEATED BY…BY YOU! YOU TRICKED ME! ME! YOU BASTARD! NO! NONONONONONONO!!!!!"

Then the earth closes over him, leaving only Masamune. Sephiroth picks up his sword and sheaths it. "Let that be a lesson to you," he murmurs to the spot where Hades vanished.

Then he walks back into the Coliseum, all the while thinking of new ways to decorate the Masamune with Cloud's blood.

**Author's Note:**** This story was the product of a peculiar mind, just remember that. I know most of you are probably thinking "WTF?" right now, but hey, it's crack. If you're interested, the idea for this story came when I was wondering how the other competitors in the Olympic Coliseum Games got in in "Kingdom Hearts." I mean, _Sora_ couldn't get in, and he's a hero. The rest were all Heartless! So this is my version of how Sephiroth got in. I was also wondering why he's in the "Kingdom Hearts" games when Cloud killed him in FF VII. And since Hades is Lord of the Underworld...the rest of the Fic just followed after that. **

** I do poke fun at Hercules' sexuality a bit, but he actually might have been gay or bisexual had he really existed in ancient Greece or Rome. The ancient Greeks were really into "experimentation" with different sexes, as can be seen in their myths. And as for the Romans, only one of their many emperors was completely heterosexual. The others were all bi, and used their power to indulge that.**

**In other words, take a yaoi fangirl with some knowledge of ancient history and a guy in a super-short toga, and you've got some weird crack. :)**

**Writing Hades was really fun. ^_^ I might write him more often now.**

**I love reviews. Please send me one, because it will make me happy. And if this story made you happy, then you should return the favor, right? If you didn't like the story, please tell me why. But there's a line between criticizing and flaming. Don't flame me, I have no time or patience.**

**REVIEW CORNER**** Thanks for Reviewing:**

**Denygo**

**moon maiden of time**

**Kaycee**

**NEXT PAIRING:**** CloudxKairi**

**Until next time-**

**YukaiChick**


	4. Gray

**Author's Note****: I have a week off from school with almost no homework, which is why I'm updating all my stories now. Yay!**

**NOTES:**** This takes place during "Kingdom Hearts II," in an in-between area similar to the place where Axel died. When Axel talked to Sora in Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden and said Kairi got away from him, I'm taking that to mean she literally ran away from him. So this would take place, time-wise, after Kairi escaped Axel but before Saix captured her. Also, as it's implied in-game that Cloud is not from Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden, I'm going to assume he's from Midgar for this Fic. So there will be some FF VII references that I'm sure you're all smart enough to get, but feel free to PM me if you don't understand something. Finally, it seems Kairi does have some powers of her own in the game-she saved Sora from being a Heartless and wielded a Keyblade-so she has abilities in this Fic as well. And since I'm a Sephiroth fangirl, Sephiroth can do anything. So there. **

**DISCLAIMER:**** I think you guys all know by now that I don't own "Kingdom Hearts," but in case anyone wasn't paying attention the first hundred thousand times…I don't own "Kingdom Hearts."**

**DEDICATION:**** For **becoafamu**, who suggested crack pairings. And she reviewed too, which makes her doubly awesome. Thanks so much!**

**I love reviews. Reviews and constructive criticism are love. Flames are not love. Please do not flame me. And please suggest some crack pairings if you haven't already, so we can keep the one-shot and crack-pairing love I have here going.**

**Let's get started, shall we?**

**PAIRING:** **CloudxKairi**

**Gray**

Cloud really hated his life right now.

He'd known that Sephiroth, the sick bastard, could do some pretty crazy shit, but opening a weird, swirling black vortex out of thin air and flying into it hadn't been something Cloud had seen before. And he'd been so close to catching him, too-one more swing with the Buster sword and he would have lopped the ass-hole's wing off.

So of course, Cloud had rushed into the portal after Sephiroth, only to find that the One-Winged Angel was nowhere to be seen and he was trapped in what had to be the strangest dimension ever.

The whole place was made up of different shades of white, ranging from a pure, clean snow color like a fresh winter's day to a soft dove gray like the underside of a baby bird's wing. The colors shifted, swirled, merged, shimmied, spiraled, and did other strange things so that Cloud had _no idea_ anymore if he was going north, south, east, west, up, down, or just in circles. All he did know was that mixed in with the white of the place were funny-looking Xs with curlicues and spikes, as if they were created by a rich ShinRa company artist. The Xs moved around a lot too, and certainly weren't helping Cloud's sense of direction any.

Besides being completely, utterly, entirely lost, Cloud kept getting attacked by funny white monsters, the likes of which he'd never seen before. They resembled people in zippered white jumpsuits, but without hands, feet, or faces, and with oddly shaped heads. The damn things were fast, too. They could slither and spiral circles around him, and he couldn't see them clearly against the white of the landscape (if you could even call his strange surroundings "landscape.") After one of them had spiraled right around his blade when Cloud had tried to slice through it and given him a nasty bruise on the forehead, he'd resorted to blasting them with materia when he saw them coming from a distance. Firaga blew the things up quite nicely, and charred black jumpsuit made a nice change from the never-ending white until it faded away.

And to top it all off, Cloud hadn't seen Sephiroth since he'd entered this strange place, which he'd now been stuck in for several…hours? Days? Months? There was no way of keeping track of the time here. So he trudged onward in what he thought was a straight line, hoping that he'd eventually run into Sephiroth or, preferably, an exit.

The bastard just couldn't make things easy for him. He _had_ to pull a vanishing act the second Cloud had him cornered, didn't he? He couldn't be waiting to fight Cloud here like he kept saying he was. Or, better yet, he couldn't just stay dead after Cloud killed him the first time like normal people did. But that would have been too easy, wouldn't it? And life was never easy for Cloud Strife. Oh no.

Cloud squinted his glowing eyes, stained an unusually strong shade of blue after years of exposure to dangerous mako levels, at the hazy white edge of the world. Yep, there was definitely movement there. Looked like more of the jumpsuit things were back. Cloud readied his Buster sword to shoot, making sure the mastered Firaga materia was in the first slot.

Just then, the world around him began to shake violently, as if in the grips of some terrible earthquake. Cloud stumbled and slipped, finally falling to his knees and watching in horror as the white realm thrust upwards around him like a tidal wave, and part of it caved inwards into a kind of canyon. He scrambled away from this newest landmark, his feet scrabbling on the ground as he tried to find friction to use to his advantage.

Then what had been moving on the horizon was upon him. Cloud only wished it had been the jumpsuit-things from earlier. This was a huge white monster, moving partially _inside_ the white material that made up the world, so that only half of it was visible. He could make out a thin, birdlike shape with long legs and huge wings, its body trimmed with huge, deadly, pale purple spikes-

-and then the creature was upon him, moving even faster than the jumpsuits, whipping around his body in a white blur. Cloud saw sharp talons headed straight for him, ready to tear open his chest. He could practically feel the thing's scream of triumph as it dove at him.

Without even thinking, he ducked and rolled under the thing, hearing the dull scrape of its claws on white stuff. His head sprang up, unruly blond spikes whipping away from furious blue eyes. With a loud, strangled roar, he surged to his feet-and nearly fell backwards into the canyon now less than a foot behind him.

Arms desperately pinwheeling, Cloud managed to get his balance just as the creature dove at him again, one of the spikes from its wings brushing his cheek and leaving behind a trail of scarlet blood, which seemed almost too intense after seeing nothing but white for so long. But seeing the blood dripping down onto the whiteness gave Cloud an idea.

He heard the thing screech and turned to face it, Buster sword held at his side for balance. As it dove again a third time, its sharp beak aiming for his head, Cloud reached out and grasped a black-gloved hand around one of the wing spikes, using it to swing himself up and over the monster's back.

For a moment the two sailed over the canyon, the monster too shocked that Cloud was on its back to try and shake him off, and Cloud too shocked that his plan had actually worked to try anything else.

Then Cloud could feel the thing start to buck underneath him, so he tightened his grip on the Buster sword's hilt and, quick as a flash, drove it between the creature's shoulder blades.

The monster screeched in pain, loud and so high-pitched that Cloud screwed up his eyes in pain. The creature spread its wings as wide as they would go and flipped into a vertical dive, shaking and bucking and twisting itself as hard as it could as it went. Cloud tried as hard as he could to hold on, but only managed a few minutes before flying off the thing's back and going flying across the white realm-luckily away from the canyon-skidding across the ground a few feet before finally coming to a halt.

Cloud saw the monster dive into the ground as if it were water and disappear. Then, he saw something that, for the first time since Zack had died, made his blood run cold and the icy fist of panic grip his heart and squeeze so tight he was sure he'd burst.

He saw his beloved Buster sword, that he must have lost his grip on when the monster threw him off without realizing it, tumble down into the canyon as if in slow motion. The sharpened edge glinted dully in the realm's pale white light as it fell, spinning end over end, down into the white abyss.

He leapt to his feet and raced to the edge of the canyon, peering down into its depths. His mako-enhanced eyes were good for one thing-they let him see down to the very bottom of the deep crevasse, where his sword was embedded blade down in the ground. Too far down for Cloud to jump down and get it without getting a broken limb, which he couldn't risk while alone in unknown territory. He scanned the canyon walls for some sort of hand- or footholds he could use to climb down to his weapon…but the walls were as smooth as glass.

For the first time since he'd gone off to fight Sephiroth alone, he felt as if he might die by something other than Sephiroth. If any of those white monsters came back, Cloud didn't have a weapon to use against them. He'd learned pretty quickly when the Heartless showed up that only masters of hand-to-hand combat like Tifa really stood a chance against weird monsters without a weapon or magic, and, well, he wasn't anywhere near as good as Tifa with hand-to-hand. He kept a little materia in his glove in case of emergencies, but when that ran out, he was pretty much screwed. And if Sephiroth showed up now-highly likely, seeing as how the bastard always seemed to know when Cloud was at his weakest-Cloud could only hope his death would be quick. Which would in that case be highly _un_likely.

Cloud looked up at the white sky and screamed, a scream that seemed to echo out to the very ends of the colorless world before fading away. "Why?" He yelled. "Why me?" He curled up into a ball, resting his spiky blond head on his knees. "Zack, I'm sorry…"

"Hey! You up there! Is this your sword?"

Cloud looked up and blinked. Had someone just…talked? From the bottom of an impossible-to-reach canyon in some weird dimension? _I must be hallucinating again_, he thought. _It's the stress. I just need to sleep for a little bit and it'll go away, it always does…_

"Hello? Come on, I know I saw someone up there! Not like there's many people wearing black in this place…"

Cloud glanced down at his black SOLDIER uniform, covered by a long, sleeveless black coat with a silver wolf emblem on it, and decided to take a look down the canyon anyway. Couldn't hurt.

What he saw nearly made him fall down the canyon after his sword.

There was a girl down there, standing next to the Buster sword. Cloud's eyes could see her clearly, and he thought she couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen. He blinked a few times, looked away, rubbed his eyes hard, and looked back. The girl was still there.

This wasn't one of Cloud's standard hallucinations. He usually imagined up Aerith or Tifa, or occasionally Zack. This girl didn't look a thing like Aerith or Tifa. She had dark wine-red hair that fell down to her shoulders, and was looking up at him with eyes that reminded him of the ocean at Costa del Sol on a particularly fine summer's day. She was wearing a strapless, pink and white dress just a few inches short (or long, in this case) of being indecent, and which had a lot of zippers for some reason or another, along with purple sneakers, and she appeared to have some sort of satchel tied around her waist with a ribbon.

Cloud then realized that he'd been analyzing his hallucination as he'd been taught to do in SOLDIER for potential threats. He rolled his eyes at himself. When had he gotten so paranoid? It wasn't like a teenage hallucination was really going to do him in.

And she wasn't bad looking, either. That dress certainly left nothing to the imagination, and her waist had an absolutely perfect hourglass shape. She wasn't as well endowed as Tifa in the chest department…but then, few women were, and this girl certainly didn't have anything to be ashamed of. Cloud wondered, despite himself, how it might feel to have her pressed up against him, to be moving his hands over those soft-looking breasts and hugging that tiny waist…

He mentally slapped himself upside the head, hard. He'd really gone too long alone if he was thinking like _that _about a hallucination. Next thing he knew, the Aerith hallucination would be trying to kiss him and the Tifa hallucination would be inviting him to the private upstairs room of Seventh Heaven.

Meanwhile, the girl had stopped trying to talk to him and was now attempting to move the Buster sword. Cloud watched with idle amusement as his newest hallucination struggled to lift a weapon easily as tall as she was, and which probably weighed twice as much. She braced her foot against the blade's dull edge and pulled as hard as she could with both hands on the hilt, grunting loudly with the effort. Cloud's eyes widened in surprise when she succeeded in actually toppling the thing over on its side. Not many people other than him were able to move the Buster sword at all.

Cloud nearly fell into the canyon again as a realization hit him with all the force and bluntness of a speeding train. His hallucination had _touched _something. It was able to move things. His other hallucinations passed straight through any solid objects, and he wasn't able to touch them at all.

Did that mean…this girl wasn't a hallucination? Was she _real?_

And that meant…

"Hey!" Cloud yelled down the canyon. "HEY! Can you help me?"

The redhead put her hands on her hips and looked up at him, annoyance showing clearly in those ocean-blue eyes. "About _time_ you talked!" She called back. "I was starting to think you were mute or something!"

"Listen, I need my sword back! There's a bunch of weird white monsters around here, and they could come back any minute!"

"Well, I can't move your sword! Why is it this big, anyway? Are you compensating for something?" The girl yanked on the hilt again for emphasis, and the Buster sword didn't move an inch.

Cloud could tell that dealing with this girl was going to be a pain in the ass. She gave more lip than a pissed-off Tifa hallucination! He almost just got up and walked away from the canyon to leave the girl-and his sword-to whatever beings that happened upon them next.

But on the other hand, it _was_ Zack's sword…

"Look," he tried again. "Do you see a bunch of little slots in the hilt filled with glowing stuff?"

The girl looked. "Yeah…"

"Pull out the green glowing stuff in the third slot from the top. It's mastered Jump materia. If you hold onto the sword and use the materia, it'll send both you and the sword up here."

"What's materia? How do I use it?"

Cloud resisted-with great difficulty-the urge to bang his head repeatedly, and with great force, against the white stuff that made up the dimension. It was just his luck that this girl had to come from another World where they didn't have materia. Now he'd have to waste precious time giving her a crash course in using the stuff, and Tifa had always said he didn't have the patience for teaching-

Suddenly, the ground began rumbling and shaking again, just like before. Cloud fell to his knees, and looked up at the world's edge. His eyes widened in disbelief. "No way!" He hissed.

The huge white bird monster from earlier was back, now zooming down the canyon towards the girl with the force of a Midgarian bullet train.

Cloud yanked off his left glove and gripped the ice-cold blue materia within. Blizzara. Not great, but it would have to do. "Duck!" He yelled down at the girl, standing up and aiming for the monster's head.

The girl appeared to be in shock. Her eyes were so wide Cloud wondered why they weren't popping out of her head. She took two slow steps back, as if in a daze, then tripped over the fallen Buster sword and landed flat on her back.

Just as Cloud was about to shoot his Blizzara spell and hope for the best, a great white light radiated out from the girl's body. She didn't seem to be controlling it, as her eyes were screwed up tight in fear, and the sweaty pallor of her skin told Cloud she was too scared to concentrate. Nevertheless, the light soon engulfed her body, then radiated outwards to envelope the monster in its radiance. The creature stopped short, its wings scraping the canyon walls, and began to writhe and shriek in what seemed like terrible pain.

The light kept flowing outwards, and soon it seemed the whole of the white world, including Cloud, was bathed in a peaceful glow. And even though there was a huge monster less than two feet away from killing a defenseless teenage girl and crushing Cloud's precious Buster sword, the young warrior felt strangely at peace. He thought of all the good things in his life: The smell of his mother's fresh-baked cinnamon rolls in the morning, fooling around with Zack in Midgar on their days off, Aerith's laughter, Tifa brewing up a drink just the way he liked it…

The girl's light was steadily growing brighter and brighter, until finally Cloud couldn't keep even his mako-enhanced eyes open anymore. He could still _feel_ it though, getting brighter and hotter and bigger until finally-

-it was gone.

Cloud tentatively cracked open one blue eye, and was greeted by only lingering sparkles in the air. He opened both eyes…and gasped.

The canyon was gone, vanished, as if it had never even been there. So was the monster. The red-haired girl was lying unconscious on the ground next to Cloud's sword.

Cloud rushed over and secured his Buster sword firmly on his back, then knelt down next to the girl and put two fingers on her neck. Her pulse felt fine…and so did her skin. Cloud gave himself another mental slap, and gave her body a _very_ quick once-over for any injuries. There didn't appear to be any, so he supposed it was only a matter of time until she woke up.

As he was thinking this, the girl stirred under his hand (which he quickly snatched away) and opened those vivid blue eyes. "Ugh…" she moaned. "Wha' happened?"

"You, uh…" Cloud didn't really know what had happened himself, actually. "You tripped over my sword, and this bright light came out of you, and…the canyon and the monster disappeared."

"Oh…" The girl slowly sat up, putting a hand to her head. "Okay. I did something like that before, once, with a friend of mine. He turned into a Heartless, and I turned him back."

"Hn." Cloud was thinking this girl was more interesting than he'd first assumed. Still, he had to go find and kill Sephiroth, and rid himself of his last traces of darkness once and for all. So he really didn't have time to be sitting around chatting it up with a teenager.

"Well, thanks for your help. Good luck." Cloud got up and turned to leave.

"Hey!" The girl got to her feet and grabbed his coat, forcing him to turn and face her. "You-you can't just _leave _me here! I was kidnapped! This weird guy in a black coat with red hair who called himself Axel tried to take me away from my islands! So I ran from him into this dark portal, and I ended up in this weird place where the sun was setting all the time and everything was all orange-y, so I was going to wait there for one of my friends, but he tracked me down and dragged me here! So I kicked him, and ran, and another portal opened up, so I jumped through that, and I ended up in that canyon next to your sword."

"I didn't ask for your life's story. I don't care how you got here. Let go of my coat." Cloud yanked his clothes out of the girl's hands and turned to leave again, now quite annoyed.

"You can't leave! I helped you! You owe me!" The girl's yelling was really starting to grate on his nerves. He couldn't believe he'd ever even entertained the thought that she was pretty.

Still…she had a point. He did owe her something. She'd gotten rid of the monster and gotten his sword back for him. And if his time with Vincent Valentine had taught him anything, it was that debts should always be repaid. Even to annoying teenage girls.

"Fine." Cloud turned to face her, annoyance and anger burning in his eyes. She glared right back at him, arms crossed and one foot tapping, not fazed at all. "Do you want munny?" He reached for his munny pouch in his pants pocket.

"No, I don't want your munny!" The girl seemed even angrier now, and leaned in close to him, eyes blazing and hands on her hips. "How about…" She thought a minute. "You let me ask you a few questions."

"…Alright." Cloud sighed deeply and sat down. "For a few minutes only. Then I need to be on my way. You're holding me up."

The redhead sat down across from him, arranging her dress neatly over her knees. "First question," she said. "What's your name?"

"…Cloud."

"Huh. Interesting name. I'm Kairi." She held her hand out to shake, and Cloud took it, inwardly rolling his eyes. He noticed that she smelled rather good, like a warm ocean breeze and tropical flowers.

"Okay, next question," Kairi said. "Why are you here?"

"Same way you got here. I jumped through a portal."

"No! I mean, what are doing? Why are you in such a hurry? Are you looking for something?"

Cloud looked up, away from the girl's too-open face. He hated talking about this. Why hadn't he just left while she was unconscious and not even bothered with her? "Yeah, I am sorta looking for something," he said. "My light." He felt it was best not to bring Sephiroth into this right now.

"What's that?"

"Not what, who," Cloud corrected. "I…don't know yet." Images of both Aerith and Tifa popped into his head as he spoke. He sighed slightly.

"Well, maybe I can help."

Cloud snorted. "I doubt that, kid. You're what, fourteen?"

"I'm fifteen!" Kairi blushed beet-red out of anger, giving her the look of an erupting volcano. "AND I'm one of the seven Princesses of Heart."

"Who the hell are they?"

"The only seven people in the universe with completely pure hearts," Kairi explained. "Together, they can open Kingdom Hearts."

"…Oh." He thought he'd heard Hades say something about Princesses of Heart last year, when he'd been working for the God of the Underworld. That guy had been almost as much of a bastard as Sephiroth. Almost, but not quite. "I can't take you with me. I'm fighting someone, and he's really powerful. He'd rip you to pieces in an instant, even with that trick you did with the light back there. He caused my best friend to die."

Kairi was quiet a moment, as if she didn't know what to say. Finally, she whispered, "I'm sorry," lowering her head so that her hair came forward around her face like a red curtain.

"Yeah, well…it was a while ago, so…I'm not as sad about it as I was. He passed his sword down to me before I died. That's why it's so important to me. It's the most important thing I own. It represents my honor, my friendship, my promises…everything I stand for."

"Wow. That's really deep."

"Yeah."

"So who is it you're fighting?"

"Sephiroth. My darkness."

"Oh."

The two sat for a few minutes in companionable silence, Cloud wondering what it was about Kairi that made him want to be so open with her. He supposed it was the eyes. They were such a deep shade of blue, nearly violet upon close inspection, and so open and trusting. They seemed to say, "Tell me everything. I won't judge you. I'll keep your secrets. You can trust me." It seemed neither of them wanted to leave just yet.

But Cloud knew he had to. "Thank you for all your help, Kairi," he said, standing up to leave. "Maybe I'll see you again sometime."

"Hey, Cloud?" Kairi stood up along with him. "Can I ask you just one more question?"

"Okay."

"Well…um." Kairi was blushing again, and Cloud couldn't help thinking she looked rather cute when she blushed. The girl was looking anywhere but at him, clasping and unclasping her hands and shuffling a foot around nervously. "Um. There's this boy I like, and I was just wondering…what's it like to kiss someone you care about?"

Cloud didn't know why he did what he did next. Maybe because Kairi gave him lip where Aerith and even Tifa wouldn't. Maybe because she'd sat him down and forced him to answer her questions. Maybe it was because he'd been alone for _so damn long_. Or maybe it was all of those things. Or none of them.

But Cloud gathered Kairi up in his arms and kissed her.

And she kissed him back.

If Cloud closed his eyes, he could imagine that he was kissing her on a beautiful tropical beach where the sun was shining in a bright blue sky, because that's how Kairi smelled and tasted to him. Like paradise. He nipped gently at her bottom lip, and she took the hint and opened her mouth, allowing Cloud's tongue entrance. He explored every inch of her moist mouth, running gently over her teeth and lips and entwining his tongue with hers.

She reached up and wound her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in spiky blond hair, and Cloud put his arms around that tiny waist and held her close, loving how soft and small she felt. Like how he'd imagined an angel would feel.

The two broke apart eventually, gulping in air and gazing at each other, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling.

Cloud saw what happened next as if it were a dream. He even convinced himself that it was for a few weeks afterwards, and that he'd wake up and still find himself kissing Kairi in that white place. When he finally admitted to himself that it had really happened, he cried harder than he ever had before in his life.

A dark portal opened up right behind Kairi, and a black-sleeved arm reached out and wrapped itself tightly around her mouth before she could scream. Kairi tried to pull away, and Cloud could see her eyes, full of mind-numbing terror, staring at him. He reached out to grab her.

The arm yanked Kairi back into the portal, and it closed. Cloud's hand brushed the white walls of the dimension.

"No…" he whispered. "NO! Kairi! KAIRI! Give her back, you piece of shit! GIVE HER BACK! OPEN UP, DAMN YOU!" Cloud freed his Buster sword and slashed at the dimensional walls with a savage fury, screaming obscenities. But he did no visible damage.

Finally he sank to his knees, breathing hard, his energy completely spent. "Kairi…" he whispered. "Kairi, I know what this place is now. It's a gray area. It's created when a dark person like me finally finds his light."

Cloud felt a bright light at his back, and whirled around, sure that it was Kairi, that she'd somehow heard him, freed herself of her captor, and found her way back to him.

It wasn't Kairi. It _was_ a portal to another World. Cloud peered through it and saw the steepled, shingled roofs and ruined castle of Hollow Bastion. That was a World he knew well, having fought Sephiroth there.

Seemed as good a place as any to search for his light in.

**Author's Note:**** I know this is really long (Microsoft Word says it's twelve pages) but I just couldn't find a good place to stop. The story just kept wanting to go on, so who am I to tell it to stop when it doesn't want to? ;)**

**For some reason, I'm not really happy with how this turned out…I don't know why. Maybe because I had more trouble writing this Fic than I did with some of my others, and it's just SO DAMN LONG. Oh, well. It's done now.**

**I made up the Nobody Cloud fights. It's based on Nobodies that show up in Twilight Town, but I still made it up. ****:)**

**See that "Review" button down there? It wants you to click it. Oh yes it does.**

**REVIEW CORNER**** Thanks for Reviewing:**

moon maiden of time

becoafamu

**NEXT PAIRING: Namine/Marluxia**

**Peace out!**

**-YukaiChick-**


	5. Power

**Author's Note****: I wanted to write a story about Namine abusing her powers of her own free will to get something she wants, since there is no way that girl is as innocent as she looks. This is what I came up with.**

**I debated a lot with myself over whether or not Marluxia/Namine counts as "crack." Finally, I decided that it does, simply because Marluxia doesn't seem to have any kind of romantic interests towards Namine in the game. Also, I personally think he's too old for her, and even though he's really creepy, he doesn't strike me as a pedophile or anything. **

**WARNING****: There's no sex in this (and I'm not writing any for it, ever, so don't ask) but this story does imply something more graphic than anything else I've written so far for "Blink." I thought about changing the rating for this story, but decided not to since I'm not actually going into anything. I've seen worse stuff on this site rated T. I'm only asking you to PLEASE heed the rating, for this story especially.**

**DEDICATION:**** To Krys, because she's awesome like that, and because it's all her fault I can no longer look at Marluxia without laughing. I love you, Krys-chan, and I hope you enjoy this story. (Get your mind out of the gutter **_**right now**_**. Don't think I can't see you laughing!)**

**DISCLAIMER****: Tetsuya Nomura owns my soul. "Kingdom Hearts" is the property of Square Enix, Tetsuya Nomura, and Disney. Not me.**

**NOTES****: This takes place during "Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories." There's some implied AkuRoku, one-sided Larxel, and a teeny bit of Namiora in here as well as the main pairing. I apologize in advance for any OOC-ness Marluxia might have, since I haven't written him before. Wish me luck! **

**Let's get started, shall we?**

**PAIRING:**** Marluxia/Namine**

**Power**

"_Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."_

_-Thomas Jefferson_

Looking back on it now, I suppose what happened in Castle Oblivion between Marluxia and me was inevitable.

I mean, when a teenage girl has the power to screw around with people's memories, she's obviously going to use it for her own benefit. Even if said teenage girl is a Nobody who isn't supposed to exist and doesn't technically have feelings, or even a heart, it doesn't mean she can't still want to experience what real people do. By that, I mean being with a person, in a relationship. Winking and smiling at someone in that special way that lets them know you love them. Kissing, whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears at night. Holding each other close during a storm. Touching and caressing in the most secret and intimate of places.

I wanted love, as the Somebodies call it.

Besides, I'd spent my whole life locked up in rooms of pure white. I was either poked, prodded and submitted to endless tests to try and figure out the source of my strange powers, or I was working at my new job-tampering with the memories of the Keyblade Wielder, so that he'd become Marluxia's pawn and conquer Kingdom Hearts for him. In order to do this, I spent a lot of my time sifting through my Other's memories, and so I saw how much she loved her two best friends. So I spent a lot of time wondering about love. Why people loved one another, and how people fell in love, and how they knew that someone was "right" for them. I was also sitting very, very still on the room's only little white chair, hoping Larxene wouldn't get mad and hit me again.

Basically, I'd been very, very lonely for my entire life.

I was attracted to Marluxia mainly because he was the only man I saw on a regular basis. Larxene was the one who watched me the most often, since Marluxia thought it would be good for me to "spend time with another woman," or something like that. I guess Marluxia didn't know much about women, especially Larxene. She loathed watching me, and spent the time pacing angrily back and forth, complaining about the other people in the castle and insulting me. If I so much as moved, she'd say I was being disobedient and would hit me. And Larxene hit hard. I still have bruises on my leg from the last beating she gave me before she faded away after her final battle with Sora. I survived mainly by keeping quiet, keeping my eyes on my sketchbook, and not moving at all.

Occasionally, if Larxene had other duties, Axel watched me. I preferred him over Larxene, but only because he didn't hit me. Rather, he just stared at me with those eerie, cat-like green eyes of his, not saying a word, puffing away at a cigarette. He scared me, because he was an enigma. I couldn't figure him out. He didn't seem to be in Castle Oblivion for the same reasons as Marluxia and the others-so why was he there at all? Everyone else dismissed Axel as an idiot, but I always knew he was planning something. All I did know was that he really liked Roxas. I could see his memories of Roxas, and how special the boy was to him. Sometimes he'd take Larxene to his room, but I think that was more to blow off steam than because of any actual attraction to her.

Vexen came up from the basement once a week to do some tests on me, since he was still hoping to find the source of my strange control over memories. He'd poke my pale, skinny arms full of needles, take my height and weight, and ask me weird questions about my dreams before turning to Marluxia-who would always be in the room with us, leaning against the door and regarding Vexen with deep suspicion-and suggesting some change to my diet. Anyway, Vexen was old, older than the other Nobodies, and I think he was crazy, too. He'd turn away from me every now and then to write something down on a clipboard during the tests, and he'd start talking to himself-really weird stuff, like "entropy is the degree of disorder of a system," or "I wonder if I should put more protein in its food?"

I knew there were two other men down in the basement-I'd heard Larxene mention them once or twice-but I'd never seen them.

But Marluxia was something special. He was a little more filled out than Axel, and his long black cloak clung to him in all the right places, highlighting the flat planes of his chest and his smooth midsection. He had a sharp, angular face that made him look dashing, in my opinion, like an untamed prince. His eyes were a gorgeous shade of dark blue, like the sky just after the sun has set, and they were always concentrating on something-whether it be his sharp, deadly pink scythe while he was training, or some papers he was going through at his desk, or even when he was just sitting on a couch, staring at the floor. Wild, rose-pink hair tumbled down to his shoulders in waves. I loved Marluxia's hair the most, since it reminded me of the _sakura_ blossoms on Destiny Islands, where my Other lived, that always bloomed a vivid pink in the spring. I was always trying to replicate his hair in my sketchbook, but could never get just the right shade of pink-it was either too light or too dark.

Marluxia had been the nicest to me back on The World That Never Was, though I think it was mostly to gain my trust so I'd go here with him. He was the one who'd first found me, slumped down on a forgotten street in the Dark City, and had taken me to the Castle That Never Was, where the other Nobodies lived. He'd also given me my sketchbook, and a box of colored pencils to go with it. He hadn't said anything when he'd given them to me, other than "Here," because no one knew about my powers yet. Of course, I'd thought those colored pencils the most beautiful things in a world of white walls and black cloaks. I'd spent hours simply admiring the bright colors before even beginning to draw. Before anyone knew about my ability to manipulate memories (and so locked me up in a separate wing of the castle as a result) I was rooming with Larxene. She'd use me as target practice even back then if I annoyed her, so sometimes Marluxia would get her tipsy at dinnertime so she'd just go straight to bed and not bother me.

I remember watching him train once, from my window back in the Castle That Never Was. He was so graceful that I thought I was watching a ballroom dancer, and his scythe was a pink-clad dance partner. The vines that twined up over his head and the red petals that rained down around him, as well as the pink flowers that shot down bolts of bright energy, decimating aerial targets, made it all look like a perfectly choreographed production. He certainly deserved the title "Graceful Assassin."

So I was more than willing to go with him to Castle Oblivion, especially when he said that he'd be doing important research up there and that my powers would be a great asset to him. I wanted to get away from the white room I was locked in, the endless tests I was subjected to. I wanted to learn more about _why_ I could control memories, and maybe I could do something to help Organization XIII get their hearts back.

Had I known that Marluxia was only planning on capturing Sora and overthrowing the Organization, that I was only his tool, and that there'd be even more white rooms and tests…Well. It's not like I would've had a choice, anyway.

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It was Larxene who gave me the suggestion to use my powers to get what I wanted. I'd finished erasing the next few links in Sora's memory (I couldn't go too quickly, or else I might have completely shattered his mind) and I was sitting quietly on my chair as usual, sky blue eyes staring down at a blank page in my sketchbook. Meanwhile, Larxene ranted and raved about how Vexen had offended her that morning, brandishing her yellow and blue _kunai_ as she paced back and forth.

I was wondering what Marluxia looked like under his black cloak-quite an inappropriate thing to be wondering for a teenage girl, according to my Other's memories. I guess it must have been "hormones," if Nobodies even have hormones. (I heard Vexen arguing about that with Axel once.) I really needed answers to this strange emotion the Somebodies called "love." I'd been through Kairi's memories over and over again, but what I was looking for wasn't in there. And I definitely wasn't asking any of the men about it, so that left…

I risked a quick glance up. Larxene had paused for breath, electric-blue eyes glinting sadistically as she gently ran a black-gloved finger up and down the sharp edges of her _kunai_. It didn't seem like she was in the mood to start hitting me, so I decided to ask my questions and hope for the best. Larxene loved to hear herself talk; at the very least, she'd give me something to think on.

"Larxene?" I asked quietly, hating how timid my voice sounded.

She looked up sharply. "You've distracted me, memory witch." Her voice had taken on a dangerous edge. "This had better be good."

"I'm sorry! Sorry!" I stammered. I could feel heat rising into my otherwise ghostly pale face. Nervously twirling a lock of pale blonde hair, I asked, "Do you know…what love is?"

"Love?" Larxene slipped the _kunai _away, staring at me incredulously. "_Love_!? That's your big question?!" She started cackling then, a terrible sound which bounced around the entire room so it sounded like Larxene was everywhere at once. I cringed, curling into myself slightly, and hoped as hard as I could that she wouldn't hurt me.

"Whew…That was a good one, kid." Larxene straightened, catching her breath and wiping a tear of mirth from her eye. "Love isn't real, kid. It's just how two people control each other. How they dominate each other's lives." She sauntered over to me, hips swaying, and kneeled down so her face was inches from mine. "How they make sure the other person can only think about one thing: them. It's all about pain, babe."

I nodded furiously, fisting my hands in my knee-length, plain white sundress and cringing back from Larxene as far as I could manage. She snickered again, but backed off.

"So what's up with the weird questions, anyway?" She went to examine an imaginary spot on the wall, as if I was now too insignificant for her to look at. "Is there anyone that you're…attracted to, maybe?"

"Um…uhm…n-no…" I stammered, now quite interested in the gold star-shaped buckles on my turquoise sandals.

"Really?" Larxene was back in my face, eyes glinting sadistically. "Because _I_ think that there is, blondie." She grabbed my chin, not hard enough to hurt, but enough so that I had to look at her.

"So who is it?" Her lips twisted up into a smirk, and I could see sparks of electricity begin to play around the sleeves of her long black cloak. I struggled, panicking, but it was no use. She had me. "Sora? Your little 'hero?'"

"N-no…he's just…a pawn…" I stammered out the phrase Marluxia had said to the Castle's other inhabitants time and time again. "By the time he comes for me, it'll be too late for him, so why bother loving him at all?" This wasn't the entire truth, of course. But it was uncomfortably close.

"Wow. You really _are_ heartless." Electric eyes widened in surprise and Larxene released me. I curled away from her into the chair, rubbing at my chin with one hand and trying to hold back the tears I knew would come later.

"So, who is it then?" She was still playing with me, the way a cat does with a mouse before it guts and eats it. "Can't be Vexen, he's too old. And you don't see Axel enough to really form an opinion about him…plus he's mine anyway, so you wouldn't dare…so that just leaves…" She snapped her fingers, a spark of bright lightning flying up into the air. Her eyes gleamed, and I could tell she'd figured me out. "Marluxia."

I blushed furiously, scuffing at the white floor with the toe of a sandal. Maybe if I just closed my eyes tight enough, she'd go away…

But I had no such luck. Larxene practically fell over laughing that horrible, cruel, high-pitched laugh of hers. All I could do was sit and let the tears drip down my face. I knew she'd tell Marluxia now, how could she not? And my life would become more of a hell than it already was.

"That's rich!" Larxene gasped, leaning against the wall for balance. "The memory witch is in love with that fruity little flower boy!" She slumped down against the wall in another fit of giggles.

"Stop it," I whispered. "Please."

Before I knew what had happened, she had slapped me soundly across the face. I whimpered, hating her, and hating myself more for not being able to fight back. I rubbed at what I knew was a large red mark across my cheek.

"You little bitch," Larxene hissed angrily. "Don't you dare even _think_ to tell me what to do! You may be Marluxia's special little toy, but _you are not in charge of me_."

Before anything else could happen, Axel stuck his head into the room. "Hey Thunder Bug," he called, using his nickname for Larxene. "Marly wants ya."

Axel blinked and stared at me, snivelling in my chair, and at Larxene, poised as if to hit me again. "Am I…interrupting something?" He asked.

"Not at all, Axel," Larxene said smoothly. "Our little memory witch here was just being a bit disobedient, and I was taking care of it. I'll go see what ol' Petal Pants wants now. Watch Blondie for me, will ya?"

Axel nodded, and Larxene turned to glare at me once more before leaving. "You know, I don't understand why you don't just use your powers to get what you want," she snapped. "You've got all this ability, yet you're still helping Marluxia. I don't get you."

I don't know why I cared about what Larxene thought of me. I guess it was because she was the person I saw and interacted with the most on a daily basis. But that night, after I'd been locked into the big white cage that held my bed, I couldn't stop thinking of her words.

_"You've got all this ability, yet you're still helping Marluxia…"_ The more I thought about it, the more I remembered that I was being used. Marluxia only wanted me for my powers, so that he could capture Sora, overthrow Organization XIII, and gain Kingdom Hearts. He'd never return my affections, no matter how twisted they might be, of his own free will.

So was it so wrong for me to use my own powers for something _I_ wanted?

It seemed I made the decision without even realizing it, because the next thing I knew, my sketchbook and pencils were in my hands, opened to a fresh, clean white page. I concentrated on the smooth paper and focused my thoughts on Marluxia. It wasn't long before I could feel his memories running through me like a chain of bright light, so out of place in a creature of darkness. Each link was wrapped around a thought, a feeling, a color, a taste, a sound.

I put pencil to paper and carefully, oh so carefully, I began to undo Marluxia's Chain of Memories.

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It took many nights to completely rework Marluxia's mind. I was very careful, only drawing him at the back of my sketchbook where no one ever looked, and working only at night, when no one was watching me because I was locked up. But it was only a few days after I'd begun tampering with Marluxia's head that I noticed the effects. He succumbed to my powers much more quickly than Sora had-I suppose he hadn't had as strong a heart as the young Keyblade Wielder did.

It was small things, at first-an extra glance at me here and there, dark blue eyes running up and down my body in such a way that I blushed, or a hand "accidentally" brushing my thigh even though the Graceful Assassin never made an accidental movement. He occasionally even ruffled my hair slightly when he was pleased with my work with on Sora's memories, and his touch left a pleasant warm feeling in my stomach for hours afterwards. Even Larxene noticed. She'd laugh, after Marluxia left, looking at me with something akin to approval. "Guess you finally decided to _do _something, huh, Namine?" She smirked.

It was the first time she'd ever called me by name, and not "bitch," or "memory witch," or "blondie."

Then Marluxia found excuses to spend more time with me. Before I'd started using my powers on him, he only stopped by my room for a few minutes at the end of each day to check on my progress with Sora. He'd flip through my sketchbook and study the drawings I'd made that day of Sora's memories. Then he'd either toss the sketchbook back to me with a grunt of approval and leave, or he'd tell me I needed to be changing more memories in a day and _then_ leave.

But now, he was coming into my room at all hours to "check on my progress." Sometimes he'd even send Larxene away-she'd always be snickering under her breath as she left, but Marluxia didn't notice-and he would watch me on his own. He was always quiet, much quieter even than Axel, who at least made tiny noises of movement when he was in here. But Marluxia could have been a sculpture save for the rise and fall of his chest, with how still he sat. His eyes were focused only on me, as if I was the center of his universe. And I loved every minute of it.

Marluxia's presence actually improved my drawing. I felt as if I was a princess in a fairytale, drawing to win the heart of her handsome prince. And in a twisted sort of way, that was exactly what I was doing.

Later, Marluxia gave me presents. I didn't know where he was getting all these things, but to be honest, a part of me-the part undoing Marluxia's memory-didn't want to know. He would come into the room in the morning and hand me the gift, resplendent against the black of his gloved hand, and would murmur "For you," so softly that it made me tingle and shiver all over. Then he would send Larxene away and watch, smiling slightly, as I ooh-ed and aah-ed over his gift and thanked him profusely.

He gave me flowers at first, the most beautiful flowers I'd ever seen. Roses as red as blood, the petals silky soft. Pink carnations with beautiful crinkled edges that I spent hours drawing. Bright yellow sunflowers that reminded me of a warm summer's day, and made me smile just to look at them. He even brought me a pink _sakura_ blossom, just like the kind I'd seen in my Other's memories on Destiny Islands. This I treasured above all the other blooms. I put on the little white nightstand next to my bed in the cage, so it was the last thing I saw when I went to bed at night, and the first when I woke up in the morning.

After he'd given me one of what must have been every flower in the known universe, he started giving me other things. A turquoise and silver pendant that matched my sky blue eyes. A tiny beaded purse. Satin ribbons in every color imaginable for my hair. Gold and silver hair combs inlaid with precious stones. He even gave me a tiny doll with pale porcealin skin and silky soft light blonde hair, wearing a knee length white silk sundress and tiny sandals of real turquoise. She even had tiny star sapphires for eyes.

"It doesn't even compare to the original," he'd whispered, oh so close to my ear, as he placed the doll gently on my lap.

"Geez, Namine, you really have Flower Power wrapped around your thumb," Larxene muttered one evening, at the end of one of the now increasingly rare days she was watching me. She took one of the beautiful combs from the white table in the corner that I'd piled high with Marluxia's presents and idly ran it through her short yellow hair.

"I guess," I replied quietly, absentmindedly doodling paopu fruits in my sketchbook. I knew I didn't have to be afraid of Larxene hurting me anymore-I was sure Marluxia was nearby, ready to burst in at any sound I made-but I was still nervous anyway.

"You know, I think you're the most dangerous person in this Castle," Larxene continued, looking down at the table instead of me. She teased the comb around her bangs, which stuck up into two antennae-like spikes at the back of her head. I once saw her punch Vexen when he made a comment about them.

"I'm sure I'm not," I replied, still not looking up from my sketchbook. "I don't have control over the elements like the Organization does. I don't know anything about fighting or about Heartless. I don't even have a weapon."

"You're worse than the Organization," Larxene replied. "Sneaking inside people's minds and rearranging their memories, without them even knowing you did anything…that's really scary. More terrifying than anything I could ever do. If you wanted to, you could control the world. And they wouldn't even remember what you'd done."

"If I were Xemnas, I wouldn't have kept you when I found out your powers." Larxene made a fist against the table, but did nothing else. "I would've had you killed."

She locked me up in my cage, then, and left. I spent the whole night pondering over her words.

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The very next night, Marluxia came to me. I'd known, of course, that he would, so I was sitting up on my bed waiting for him. Still, I jumped a little when I heard the quiet squeak of the cage door swinging open. Then he stepped in, surrounded by a pool of pale white light from the hall, and I nearly forgot to breathe.

He was wearing nothing but his tight black pants, which perfectly silhouetted his firm calves and round, perfectly curved butt. My eyes roamed over his bare chest and flat, muscular abdomen that I'd wanted to see for so long. Pink hair flowed down to his back, even more wild than usual, but that just made him look more handsome. And those eyes-deep pools of water at midnight, and staring at me with such unrestrained passion, as if I was all he'd ever wanted and ever could want.

In two steps he had me in his arms and I was pressed against that beautiful body, nuzzling slightly into that soft skin that smelled of _sakura_ blossoms and freshly dug earth. Gently, he trailed his tongue along the edge of my ear, making heat pool in the center of my belly. Then he lifted my chin with two fingers-still so carefully, as if I was a glass figure that might break at any moment-and he pressed his lips to mine in a chaste kiss that still managed to be filled with nothing but want. His mouth felt like rose petals against mine, so soft and silky, and I leaned into the kiss, wanting, _needing_, more…

Then he pulled away slightly, placing a finger to my lips and smiling slightly at my shocked, pouty expression. He gently took my hand and led me out of my prison, down halls of white marble to his own quarters.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It wasn't beautiful.

It wasn't special, or amazing, or earth-shattering, or any of those things that the Somebodies always say sex is. I didn't swear undying love to him, and I didn't feel anything afterwards…except cold and empty.

His room was beautiful beyond comparison, almost ethereal. I don't know if he'd done it up especially for me or not, but I loved it anyway. It was filled with every kind of flower imaginable, bright blooms surrounding the soft white bed, which was dusted with _sakura_ petals. Dark green vines wove across the walls and ceiling, making me feel as if I was outside in a forest rather than in a cold white castle.

No, the room wasn't a problem. After we got down on the bed and…erm…got started, I guess you could say, I realized how empty those eyes were. They weren't focused on anything like that been before. They'd lost all the drive, the independence and spirit, the willpower that had made Marluxia _Marluxia_. He wasn't even focusing on me. I could see now that what I'd thought was passion was really just the blank stare of a man I'd trapped mercilessly inside his own head. To this day, I don't know how I mistook it for passion at all. Maybe I was just deluding myself.

He quoted poetry to me-Shakespeare, Lord Byron, Shelley, Keats. He compared my eyes to the sky on a bright spring day, my skin to the soft glow of the moon at night, and my hair to soft-spun golden silk. He was enamored with me.

None of it meant anything to me. And I hated myself for how I destroyed him.

I got out of there as soon as I could and raced down the hallways to my room, silent as a ghost. Then I threw myself onto my bed and cried until I heard footsteps approaching my door to give me breakfast.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next few days were simply intolerable. I saw no one but Marluxia. He stayed with me all day long, staring at me as I attempted to draw. He brought me my meals and took me to the cage at night. A few times he tried to get me to go back to his room with him, but I feigned sleepiness each time and he eventually gave up.

I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't work, couldn't even draw. Seeing what I had done to Marluxia, I never wanted to draw again. I was completely disgusted with myself, and I knew I'd never be able to erase any more of Sora's memories. I drew pictures of Sora's hair all day long to fool Marluxia into thinking I was doing something-not that he really cared anymore; I doubted he even knew why he was in Castle Oblivion now.

Eventually, Axel dragged Marluxia away from me, saying there was a problem in the labs and he _needed_ to come right away and fix it. Marluxia left grudgingly, whispering, "I'll be back soon, my love," as he went. A few minutes later I heard footsteps again, and Axel came back in, settling down on a chair near mine to watch me.

It must have been a mark of how miserable I felt that seeing _Axel_, of all people, made me feel better. I started shading Sora's spiky hair in with tones of caramel to give it more life, sneaking peeks at Axel every few minutes as I drew. He was still gazing at me with those too-green eyes while pretending not to, blowing cigarette smoke into the air and tipping his seat back against the wall.

Eventually, he spoke to me.

"Look, princess," Axel said. "Whatever the hell you did to Marly, you gotta fix it. He's skipping around, practically singing, and all he talks about anymore is you. The guy's acting like even more of a prick than usual."

"I'm sorry…" I whispered. And before I knew it, tears were sliding down my cheeks, dripping down and staining the floor. "I just…I wanted…I don't know _what_ I wanted anymore…"

Axel was right in front of me, handing me a tissue. "It's OK, doll," he said softly. "We all make mistakes sometimes. But sheesh, you look horrible."

I did. Whenever I caught glimpses of myself, in glasses of water or in dishes when I forced myself to eat and drink, I looked like the walking dead. My hair was lank and greasy, my dress was wrinkled, and there were huge bags under my eyes.

"You realize, now, that what you do is wrong?" Axel asked. "I've seen this with Sora too…All anyone you screw around with can think about is you. They can't remember anyone or anything else."

I nodded. "It's awful. I don't know why I was cursed with such a power, but I'll never use it again."

Axel chuckled. "Don't say that yet, Namine. You might need your abilities someday. Anyway, can you just fix the people you did mess with?"

I shook my head again. "I don't…don't know how to. I'm sorry…" Tears gathered at the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill over.

"Well…" Axel smirked, a long, slow, lazy smirk that made me think of a cat. "Sometimes, when I'm in a bind, I find the best way out of it is just to…destroy the evidence." He snapped his fingers, and instantly a burst of bright red flames sprang up at my feet. I eep-ed and cringed away from the heat, curling my feet up on the chair.

"And by the way," Axel continued. "Marluxia's probably going to be busy in the labs for awhile, so if I were you, and I wanted to go find a certain Keyblade Wielder, I'd go now. Got it memorized?" He winked at me before strolling out of the room like this whole thing was normal for him.

It probably was.

I knew now what I had to do. With the desperate fury of someone on a mission, I ripped all the pictures I'd done of Marluxia out of my sketchbook and threw them into the flames. As I watched them burn, smelling the hot scent of flaming paper, I could feel my hold on Marluxia's mind break. The painstaking work of many nights, gone in only a few minutes.

I allowed myself a brief grin before running out the door and up the stairs in search of Sora. After all, he must be nearly at the top of the Castle by now, and I still had a lot of work to do.

**Author's Note****: And Microsoft Word says…Twelve pages. Just as long as my last story. I don't mean to write such long stories, they just kinda run away on me and I have to get them out. I just couldn't find a place to stop with this one.**

**So I hope this story made sense (I REALLY hope it made sense), and I hope you liked it. By the way? This thing took me two weeks to write. I agonized over it. So if you did like it-or even if you hated it-please send me a review!**

**NEXT PAIRING****: Vexen/Riku Replika (with a twist!)**


	6. Castle of Madness

**Author's Note****: OK, I know this story hasn't been updated in forever. Which means I was abducted by aliens, of course! Those aliens really love me.**

**NOTES****: This Fic takes place during "Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories." The Riku Replika will be referred to as "Repliku," because it gets really annoying to keep typing out "the Riku Replika" over and over again.**

**WARNINGS****: Crude humor, crude sexual humor, language, sexual references (but no actual sex, and I'm not writing any, ever) and drug references. This Fic is a parody. It is not meant to be taken seriously. THERE WILL BE MAJOR OOC-NESS.**

**DISCLAIMER****: One day, I will fly to Japan and convince Tetsuya Nomura to give me ownership of "Kingdom Hearts!" But first, I must learn Japanese. So for now, I don't own "Kingdom Hearts." How sad…**

**DEDICATION****: For **moon maiden of time**. She requested this pairing WAY back in November, and I've been planning on writing it for so long, and now I finally am! Please forgive the wait. And I hope you enjoy this. (**moon maiden of time**, you're probably now thinking "I don't remember requesting Riku Replika/Vexen!" To which I reply "Just read the story. You'll see what I'm doing…")**

**There's also a VERY twisted crack pairing in here, but you'll have to read to figure that one out. ;)**

**Enough chitchat. Let's begin, shall we?**

**PAIRING****: Riku Replika/Vexen**

**Castle of Madness**

On the eighth floor of Castle Oblivion, a teenage boy walked the pristine white marble hallways while shouting at the top of his lungs "VEXEN! VEEEEXXXXEEEEN! VEXEN, HONEY, WHERE ARE YOU?" He poked his head into several doorways (white, like the hallways) leading into several rooms (also white) and releasing loud cries of frustration when he could not find the man he was looking for. The boy had been starting to get worried, as Vexen hadn't pinned him down to any laboratory tables while grinning sadistically with a lusty gleam in his eye for several days now. And Vexen was famous for his libido. If days went by and he wasn't molesting _something_, then things were definitely amiss. Hence, the boy's search.

This teenage boy was quite unusual in many ways, and just one of those ways was his looks. With pale skin, shoulder length silver hair, and ice-blue eyes, he would probably have been considered "really really hot" by any girls of his own age group. But although he looked sixteen, this boy was actually only a few weeks old. He had no knowledge of life outside Castle Oblivion and was currently under the delusion that he was Riku, an emo boy from Destiny Islands who was wandering around in Castle Oblivion's basement levels and looked exactly like him. He wore an odd-looking, skintight dark purple jumpsuit that hugged his body and showed off every single one of his perfectly formed muscles. The jumpsuit had the stylized emblem of a black heart with a red X going through it emblazoned across the chest, and also had a high collar, which unfortunately gave off the illusion that it was strangling him. He wore it with midnight blue gloves and boots and a funny-looking, feathery white skirt-thing with blue tips around his waist.

This boy was the clone of the real Riku who was in the basement, created by Vexen in his laboratory. And Vexen (who knew nothing about fashion, having worn the same black cloak for several years now), thought that the real Riku's Heartless costume was "sexy." So he'd made his clone wear it. And although this clone's official name was "the Riku Replika," the Nobodies of Castle Oblivion, Vexen included, just called him "Repliku" and told him it was Riku's preferred nickname.

Several of the inhabitants of Castle Oblivion, hearing the strange noises in Vexen's laboratory both during and after Repliku's creation, wondered if it counted as incest if a clone was doing it with his creator. But they never asked, because they were afraid of the answer. Very, very afraid.

"Guess he's not here…" Repliku sighed, having reached the end of the hall. He summoned his fake Soul Eater (the exact duplicate of the original, in that it was shaped like a bat's wing and colored shades of black, crimson, and dark blue) and smashed the two decorative marble flowerpots at the end of the hall. This way, he would remember which floors he'd already checked, and so wouldn't end up going round in circles rechecking the bleak marble corridors.

It was also a great way to relieve stress. Whoever had designed those stupid marble hallways was obviously really gay. Besides their apparent fetish for marble flowers, they apparently enjoyed designing castles with halls that all had the same color scheme and were filled with useless, blank white rooms. Heaven forbid anyone should get lost. It had taken Zexion two weeks to find some library books that had been misplaced.

Repliku climbed the stairs to the ninth floor of the castle, wondering if perhaps Vexen _had_ gotten lost despite his ability to use Dark Portals, and was currently rotting away from starvation in some forgotten corner of the basement. But his musings were interrupted when he noticed a door at the end of the hallway was slightly ajar.

Repliku crept quietly over to the door and peeked through the crack, wondering if maybe Vexen was in here molesting Marluxia's man-sized Venus flytrap like he'd been two weeks ago. But his hopes were quickly dashed when he heard a very girly and high-pitched giggling, that for all its girliness still sounded extremely creepy and sadistic.

Repliku's icy eyes widened in shock and horror as he saw Larxene saunter into view, clad only in a black bra, thong, and heels. She also carried a squirming Shadow Heartless in her arms, which was currently writhing and squealing in fear.

"Oh, shut up, you." Larxene frowned and slapped the Heartless sharply on the head between its crooked antennae. "I need some release and it's not likely I'll be getting it from any of the men around _here_. Now hold still."

Larxene put the Heartless down, giving Repliku an unwanted view of her rear as she bent over. The creature pushed itself flat to the floor and attempted to scuttle away, but before it could get too far Larxene threw her hand up in the air and shocked it silly with a bolt of electricity. And to Repliku's horror, she did it again. And again. And again, until the poor Heartless was lying stunned on the ground and had wisps of dark energy trailing off its body, giving it the appearance of smoking.

"Hmm…this just isn't cutting it," Larxene muttered. She walked towards the prone Heartless and picked it up by its foot, so that it twitched violently in her grasp. "How d'you feel about bestiality?"

Repliku couldn't help it. It was really just too much, and on top of the blonde Nobody's current attire too. He screamed, loudly and in complete and utter fear and revulsion, scrambling away from the door on his rear.

The door was soon thrown open by a livid Larxene. Repliku could have sworn that her slicked-back, antennae-like bangs were standing up from the force of the electricity he could feel crackling off of her in waves. Her electric blue eyes were narrowed in furious slits.

Despite the fact that he was probably going to die an extremely painful death by thunderbolts in a minute, Repliku couldn't help but feel grateful that Larxene had at least thrown a towel on over her undergarments.

"REPLIKU!!" Larxene shrieked, brandishing her yellow and blue _kunai_ between her fingers at the silver-haired clone. "YOU'RE INTERRUPTING MY SPECIAL ALONE TIME!! I'm a _girl_, you bastard, and everyone knows girls need special alone time, or else…or else…"

And to Repliku's growing horror, Larxene began to cry, burying her head in her hands and slumping against the frame of the door, bawling loud enough for all of Castle Oblivion to hear. "No one understands me! I'm all alone in this world! You don't understand how hard it is being the only girl in this Organization!"

Repliku's mouth opened and shut a few times, seemingly unable to speak from shock, as Larxene continued to wail. Finally, when her towel started to slip down and she showed no signs of pulling it back up to cover herself, Repliku managed to squeak out "You haven't seen Vexen anywhere, then?"

"No," Larxene sniffed, glaring at him with red rimmed eyes. "Who cares about him, though? He's old and ugly. I don't like old ugly men."

"O-OK," Repliku said, edging his way over to the stairwell and escape. "I'll just go then-."

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Larxene howled, once again the picture of fury. "You're staying here to comfort me and bring me chocolate!"

Repliku broke out into a full-fledged run up the stairs to the tenth floor, warding off Larxene's lightening bolts with a Dark Shield spell as he went. He didn't stop until he was halfway down the tenth floor corridor and couldn't hear Larxene's shrieking any longer. The clone paused for breath, thanking every deity he could think of that Larxene hadn't decided to follow him.

But Repliku wouldn't allow anything to deter his search for his darling Vexen, not even a PMS-ing Larxene. So he picked out a door at random, and, just to be on the safe side, knocked twice on its cold marble surface. "Hello? Anyone in there?" He called out.

"Come in, darling!" A high pitched voice sang out from inside the room. With some trepidation, Repliku pushed open the door and stepped inside. What he saw within was instantly burned into his retinas and would remain to disturb him for the rest of his days.

The room was an explosion of pink. The walls were painted hot pink, crisscrossed with green vines that all had garish pink blooms growing off them. The huge bed had a pale pink canopy and bedspread, and little pink throw rugs with images of lipsticks on them covered the marble floor. The white dresser was covered in pink doilies and perfume bottles, and the closet door was papered with posters of unicorns and smiling rainbows and twittering little pixies. And at the center of the room sat the master of Castle Oblivion himself, Marluxia, sitting on a poofy pink stool before a white vanity. He stared at himself in the mirror while rubbing some kind of white creamy stuff into his wavy, shoulder length pink hair.

"Oh! Hey, Repliku honey!" Marluxia waggled his fingers at Repliku. "You look absolutely FANTASTIC today. Love that jumpsuit, it really shows off your chest. Totally delish, I swear."

"Erm…" Repliku couldn't even remember what it was he'd wanted to ask Marluxia now. He'd only met the man once before, shortly after awakening in Vexen's lab, but didn't remember him being quite this…flamboyant.

"Would you be a doll and help me out with something?" Marluxia asked. He got up from his stool and sashayed over to his closet, throwing it open with a flourish. Inside were all kinds of elaborate prom and ballroom dresses, all practically dripping in ribbons and lace, and each with a matching pair of heels underneath. Repliku tried desperately not to vomit as Marluxia pulled out two dresses, one blue and one pink.

"Do you think I should wear the blue dress that matches my eyes, or the pink one that goes with my hair at dinner tonight?" Marluxia asked, holding each dress up against his body for Repliku to see. "I'd ask Vexen, but I haven't seen that old silly-billy in ages! Wonder where he is?"

Repliku's face paled even more than anyone could have thought possible and his jaw dropped. All he could do was stare at Marluxia and wonder if any amount of therapy could ever erase this vision from his mind.

Finally, Repliku ran soundlessly from the room, left eye twitching madly.

Marluxia stared after him for a few seconds before shrugging and putting the dresses away. "He must've had to go brush his hair or something," the pink-haired Nobody said with a shrug. "Oh well, I guess I'll go put on more mascara now!"

Repliku spent the next half hour huddling in a shadowy corner of Castle Oblivion's tenth floor in the fetal position, whimpering and tugging at his silver locks. "So pink…so horribly pink…" he squeaked out in between whimpers, his ice-blue eyes wide and staring. Only the thought of Vexen, alone and scared in the basement and possibly being held captive by Soldier Heartless, was able to rouse Repliku from the floor and stop him from having a complete mental breakdown. He continued on to the eleventh floor, being extra careful to smash the flowerpots at the end of the corridor. He really didn't want to end up revisiting _this_ particular floor.

Castle Oblivion's eleventh floor happened to be where the upstairs library was located, so Repliku went in there first. Perhaps Vexen had simply become so engrossed in a book that he'd forgotten to leave. It had happened before, although the book in question had been about porn.

After twenty minutes of wandering around the mazes of tall marble bookshelves without seeing anyone else, Repliku was about ready to leave when he heard a loud, annoyed voice close by. Repliku's head perked up at the thought that he could have finally found Vexen, whose voice was often loud and annoying. He made his way through the shelves to the back of the library, where a little reading area was located. And sure enough, someone was sprawled out on one of the white couches there, talking loudly into a cell phone.

But unfortunately for Repliku, it wasn't Vexen. It was Axel, who for some was yelling into a little black cell phone. As he shouted he gesticulated wildly, bright green eyes flashing.

"GOT IT MEMORIZED?" Axel shouted into the mouthpiece of the phone. He pressed another button on the keypad and again shouted "GOT IT MEMORIZED?" at whoever was on the other line. This same cycle of Axel pushing buttons on his cell phone and shouting his catchphrase continued for a few minutes until he noticed Repliku standing there, staring at him.

"GOT IT-hold on a sec, Jafar, we'll pick this up again later." Axel hung up the phone. "What _is _it, Repliku?" He said, cat-like eyes narrowed in impatience. "I'm really busy right now."

"Axel…what are you doing?" Repliku asked.

"Oh, just calling up everyone on my speed dial and yelling my catchphrase at them. I mean, _everyone_ knows that if you have a catchphrase, you've gotta use it until everyone in the vicinity is really pissed and ready to rip off your genitals, riiight?"

"Uhhh…"

"Let's see…" Axel stretched out on the couch. "I already called Oogie Boogie, Maleficent, and Sark, so now I just need to call Ursula and-."

"Hey, have you seen Vexen anywhere?" Repliku asked quickly, before Axel went off on a long, annoying monologue about his beloved catchphrase. "Because I haven't in a couple of days, and-."

"No, I haven't," Axel interrupted again, "but if you see him, tell him he'd better pay me the munny he lost at last week's poker game real soon, or he'll be the next one pushing up daisies, got it memorized?"

Repliku had no idea what Axel was talking about, so he just nodded and walked off. As he left the library, he heard the first bit of another one of Axel's shouted phone conversations, and immediately decided to just check out the basement next. Zexion and Lexaeus had always seemed a bit more clear-headed to him.

"Heeey, Xiggy, that you? Hell yeah, it's the Ax-inator! Is Roxas there…Whaddaya mean, he's playing DDR and can't come to the phone right now? HE'LL COME TO THE PHONE IF I TELL HIM TO! I WEAR THE PANTS IN THIS RELATIONSHIP!"

* * *

Because Castle Oblivion was so huge, it took Repliku nearly half an hour to get down the twelve upper floors to the Castle Oblivion basement. The silver-haired clone had never been in the basement before, and had been expecting cobwebs hanging off the ceiling, spiders the size of dinner plates, and screeching bats. But in actuality, the basement was made up of the same marble corridors, tacky marble flowerpots, and empty white rooms that the upper floors were.

Repliku privately swore that if he ever found the man who'd designed Castle Oblivion, he'd run him through with the Soul Eater.

The clone walked down several floors of basement without finding Vexen. He was beginning to feel the black claws of soul-crushing despair clenching into his gut at the thought that he might never find his darling Vexen, when he heard loud, painful grunting noises from behind a door on the fifth basement floor.

Repliku hurried to the door, wondering if maybe Vexen was tied up and being tortured. "I'LL SAVE YOU, VEXY!" He shouted, drawing Soul Eater and bursting through the door…

…Only to find not Vexen, but a gym of sorts, filled with huge, spiky exercise equipment that the clone couldn't recognize at all. It looked like some sort of medieval torture room rather than a place for working out. And towards the back lay the huge, heavily muscled figure of Lexaeus, clothed in a black tank top and shorts. His blue eyes were bugging out of his head and Repliku could hear him gasping for breath from underneath what seemed to be a huge, spiked dumbbell crushing his massive chest.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what had happened.

Repliku gasped and hurried to Lexaeus' side. "I'm sorry, Lexaeus!" He cried, his face going even paler than usual at seeing the huge Nobody pinned. "So sorry! Sorry, sorry! Here, lemme help you!"

Lexaeus' eyes widened even more and he attempted to speak, but found that the weight on his chest prevented it. He could only watch, panicked, as Repliku summoned a ball of dark energy into his hand, then leaned over and used it like a welding iron to melt the weight in two. And to Lexaeus' surprise, the two halves of the dumbbell slid off his chest, allowing him to gasp some much-needed air into his lungs.

"Thanks, Repliku…" Lexaeus muttered, getting to his feet and brushing himself off. "Thought I was done for. Seriously, I could practically see Oblivion waitin' for me back there for a second."

"No problem," said Repliku, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I mean, it was kinda my fault anyway, right?"

Lexaeus' eyes narrowed slightly as he remembered that it had been Repliku's surprise entrance that had caused him to drop the weight on himself. "Well, I guess I can let it slide, little man," he grumbled, "since you saved my life and all."

Lexaeus patted Repliku on the back, the huge weight of his hand causing the silver-haired clone to stumble and nearly fall before Lexaeus' other hand steadied him. "Sorry," the bigger Nobody said. "Forget my own strength sometimes…"

"It's OK," Repliku wheezed, since Lexaeus had knocked the breath out of him. "You seen Vexen anywhere?"

"No, can't say I have," Lexaeus answered. "What would a nerd like him be doin' in my personal gym anyways, huh?" His booming laughter shook the exercise/torture equipment on the floor and walls and made Repliku's ears ring. "But seriously, check the basement library on the sixth floor. Sometimes he's in there askin' Zexion about some science-y thing or another."

"OK, I'll do that. Thanks," said Repliku. He turned to leave, but Lexaeus stopped him with a pinky finger.

"Hold on just a sec, little man. Do you want some Roids?"

"Err…Roids?" Repliku asked.

"Yeah. Y'know, Roids. Juice. Muscle food." Lexaeus pulled a syringe filled with clear liquid out of the pocket of his shorts, ripped off the plastic top with his teeth, and attached a needle from the other pocket. He then practically shoved his syringe into Repliku's face. "I'm talkin' 'bout _steroids_, kid!"

"Um, that's OK. I'm gonna go now, thanks," said Repliku, backing slowly away from the huge silver needle. He'd never been overly fond of needles, since Vexen loved to use them for both scientific and non-scientific purposes.

"Alright, but you're missin' out," said Lexaeus with a shrug. "I've been takin' 'em for years, and they really help your muscles get huge. I can lift twice as much weight as before I started these babies."

And to Repliku's horror, Lexaeus tied a cloth sweat rag from the floor around his arm and then jammed the needle into his arm. He howled in pain, but kept the needle in until the syringe was empty. He then collapsed onto the floor into a limp, unmoving heap.

Repliku wondered if the muscular Nobody was all right. Lexaeus wasn't moving after he'd just injected himself with a strange substance. What was the standard procedure for this situation? Was the man dead? Should he poke him to find out? Should he go get some help?

Just as Repliku was about to panic, Lexaeus shifted, then slowly sat up. He rubbed his head, grinning widely, and flashed Repliku a thumbs-up. "WOO-HOO! What a rush!" He shouted. "Sure you don't wanna try some?"

Repliku ran out of the room before Lexaeus actually did get killed. Even if it wasn't his fault, he knew he'd probably get blamed for it anyway.

The clone traveled down to the sixth floor, and was surprised to see that the entire floor was a library. It was made up of the same huge marble bookshelves as Castle Oblivion's upstairs library, but they were laid out in an even more maze-like fashion. Each shelf was filled top to bottom with books, some of which were in languages Repliku hadn't even heard of. The lighting was much dimmer than it was on any of the other floors as well.

But the main difference between this library and the one upstairs was the earsplitting music blaring through the entire floor, which seemed to be composed entirely of wailing guitars and moaning, shrieking singers.

Repliku pinched the bridge of his nose to try and stave off the oncoming headache, and wove his way among the shelves to the source of the music. He found it coming from a small white CD player at the center of a circle of black candles. Sitting next to the CD player and clutching a small photograph to his chest, a look of utmost sorrow on his face, was none other than Zexion himself.

"Hello, Zexion!" Repliku shouted, in order to be heard over the music.

Zexion, who had sensitive hearing as well as smell, looked up immediately, his one visible turquoise eye narrowing upon seeing Repliku. "Repliku," he said sullenly. "I thought I smelled someone…Anyway, I do not wish to be disturbed here in my sanctuary. Please leave immediately."

"Could you maybe turn the music down?" Repliku shouted. He'd seen Zexion's lips moving, but hadn't heard a word the petite Nobody had said. "I can't hear you."

"You would dare to insult this most beautiful song?" Zexion cried, dramatically throwing a gloved hand across his forehead just as the female singer reached a pitch high enough to break glass. "You cannot insult this work of art, ungrateful knave! This lovely music represents the tortured bleeding of my ravaged soul!"

"All I'm asking is for you to lower it a minute-."

"If only my beautiful Demy-poo were here!" Zexion interrupted Repliku by shoving the photograph in his face. It was of a blue-eyed young man whose dirty blond hair was up in some odd kind of mohawk style. He had a really cheesy smile and was flashing a peace sign at the camera.

"Is that one of the people singing?" Repliku yelled. He still had no idea what Zexion was saying, though it irked him to know that the shadow-walking Nobody could hear every word he was yelling at the top of his lungs. "He looks way too cheerful to be in this song."

"My Demy-poo, oh, how I wish you were here!" Zexion wailed, again clutching the photo to his body. "You're the only one who understands me. The only one who can ease my pain! You wormed your way into my nonexistent heart with your cheerful 'Skip to the beat!' attitude. Every time we make love, I feel the ache in my soul ease, only to return in greater force when you are gone!"

"Zexion, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!"

"I wish you were with me now, as much as I also wish for my eyeliner and my "My Chemical Romance" CDs! Vexen broke them. He said they were too loud! You would never have done such a thing to me!"

"DO YOU KNOW WHERE VEXEN IS!?" Repliku screamed, just as the song ended and the library was filled with blissful silence for a few moments before the next one started.

Zexion blinked a few times. "Vexen? He's been in his secret laboratory for the past few days. The entrance is built into the wall of his main lab; you can activate it by lifting the bust of Plato on his desk. I thought you knew that? Forgive me, Repliku, but it's terribly obvious. That's how it's done in all the movies, you know."

Repliku ran out of the library as the wailing notes of the next song, mixed with Zexion's cries of "Oh, woe is me!" He desperately suppressed his urge to murder something with the knowledge that he finally, _finally_ knew where Vexen was.

* * *

Half an hour later, Repliku had ascended to Vexen's laboratory on Castle Oblivion's fourth floor. The clone mentally cursed Castle Oblivion's architect once more for the rather large oversight of forgetting to install elevators in the building. Repliku pushed aside the stacks of porn on Vexen's desk that were disguised with the covers of scientific magazines until he found a small granite bust of a serious-looking bearded male. Since this was the only thing on the desk that didn't have to do with sex, Repliku assumed it was the bust of Plato Zexion had mentioned. He nervously stretched out a gloved hand and pushed at the bust's head.

The bust tilted backwards, and a section of the previously flawless cement wall at the back of the laboratory slid backwards, revealing a small room. Breath hitching in his chest, Repliku moved swiftly over to the newly uncovered entrance. Why had Vexen been spending all his time in here, without telling Repliku? Had he had a great scientific breakthrough? Was he sick?

Actually, it was none of those things. Repliku could see that this place was a laboratory the way Larxene was a kind, loving young lady. It had lab tables, microscopes, and some of the large glass ceiling-to-floor stasis chambers Vexen grew specimens in. But the walls were covered in pictures of people in various disturbing positions, and all sorts of porn and sex-related material was strewn around the tables and floor.

But what made Repliku's icy eyes bulge in his head, what made him stop breathing and made his hands clench into fists at his sides, was the sight of his dear, beloved, amazing creator Vexen, who he adored and idolized, lying naked on a lab table.

And underneath him was a boy who could have rivaled Repliku in the "unhealthy pale skin" department, a young man who couldn't have been much older than Repliku himself. He had tousled brown hair and pale hazel eyes, and currently his head was thrown back and he was moaning wantonly, "More…Vexen, please…"

Repliku felt as if he had lockjaw. He didn't think he could've spoken even if he wanted to. Yet somehow, a tiny whimper made its way out of his throat, echoing slightly in the cold cement chamber. Repliku hated how much he sounded like a kicked puppy at that moment.

Vexen's head perked up from the brown-haired boy's lips, swinging to the entryway. Long strands of dirty blond hair fell back over thin shoulders, baring shocked green eyes and a firm, square jaw. "Re…Rep…Repliku…" Vexen stammered.

All Repliku could do was stare at his father figure, the man he had put on a pedestal above everyone and everything else, and feel as if something inside him was breaking.

"Erm…Repliku…" Vexen shifted, allowing the boy underneath him to sit up and give the silver-haired clone a very awkward smile. "This is Robert. Robert Pattinson. You remember that experiment I was working on recently, the one where I was trying to clone my vocal cords? Well, I succeeded! And they were such perfect vocal cords too, Repliku, you should have seen them! So I grew a body to house them in. Robert here woke up only a few days ago, and, well…guess we got a bit carried away…"

"I trusted you!" And the words were bursting at Repliku's lips, pouring out of his mouth in torrents. "I spent _hours_ looking for you! This stupid castle has probably scarred me for life! And it was all because I…I loved you, you asshole!"

And Repliku ran out of the laboratory, screaming "I WANNA GO BACK TO DESTINY ISLANDS!"

"Well, he was certainly an odd duck," said Robert Pattinson, in the exact same funny British-sounding accent Vexen spoke in. "Shall we get back to what we were doing, then, Vexy darling?"

**

* * *

**

Repliku spent the next three days holed up in the broom closet on the third floor that served as his bedroom. His silver hair lay lank and greasy around his shoulders without the time he usually spent washing and brushing it. Huge purple bags grew under his eyes from long restless nights lying awake in his cot. All Repliku could do was lie there, unmoving and playing a CD of Zexion's that had somehow found its way into his room at top volume. And the scene from Vexen's lab played over and over again in his mind as if it were on a loop.

On the fourth day, a gentle knocking came at his door. "Repliku, honey? It's me," came a weirdly British accented voice from the other side.

Repliku turned over onto his side and threw his bedcovers up over his head.

The door opened and Vexen slipped in, fully clothed this time in his Organization cloak. He sat down gently on the edge of Repliku's bed. The silver-haired clone inched away from him to the edge of the bed, and Vexen sighed quietly.

"Robert Pattinson left," the scientist said. "We got into a fight and he ran out through a Dark Portal I foolishly left open. Last I checked, he was living on a world called Earth, starring in some badly disguised porn movie about gothic vampires."

"…" Still no reply from Repliku.

"Repliku, I'm sorry. Really, I am." Vexen's eyes turned to the white lump at the edge of the bed, pleading. "You're my first creation. You're special to me. Ever since the beginning, you've always been willing to go that extra mile, meet any challenge, and experiment." He chuckled dryly at the double meaning of his words. "You're one of a kind, and…I love you too." Vexen extended a black-gloved hand toward the lump of sheets. "Allow me to show you."

Slowly, a hand reached out from under the covers and tightly grasped the scientist's in return.

Vexen smiled.

**Author's Note****: I think this is probably the longest thing I've ever written. Microsoft Word says 14 pages. I spent a week writing this, so I'm exhausted. I'll go sleep now…zzzzz….**

**Reviews, please?**

**REVIEW CORNER**** Thanks for Reviewing: **becoafamu, moon maiden of time, ShiningSugar 14

**Extra-special thanks to **ShiningSugar14 **for betaing this for me. You're totally awesome, and I owe you a cookie or something. :D**

**NEXT PAIRING****: Ansem the Wise/Sephiroth**

_For moon maiden of time  
who will always be myfavorite reviewer_


	7. Idle Wishes

**Author's Note****: I'm sorry. Really, I am sorry that this Fic went so long without an update. College stole my brain.**

**Aaaannnnnd "BLINK" IS BACK, BABY!!!! (Cue ecstatic cheering and screaming).**

**Remember how I said I'd write Sephiroth/Ansem the Wise next? Yeah, it wasn't going to happen. All I could write were the vague outlines of a story that refused to fill itself in. So I went back to the handy-dandy list of ideas/prompts I've made for myself just for "Blink," and I decided to do Xigbar/Saix instead. The prompt was "eyelashes."**

**And thus, this psychotic crackfic was born.**

**If anyone cares, I decided I'm going to write fourteen stories total before finishing up with "Blink" for good. One story for each member of Organization XIII! (Though of course, not each story will necessarily have an Organization member in it, as I'm sure you guys have already figured out.)**

**DISCLAIMER****: If I owned "Kingdom Hearts," the Saix/Larxene pairing would be **_**canon**_**, dammit! And all the Xemnas/Saix fangirls would be after me with torches and pitchforks. So perhaps it's best I don't own "Kingdom Hearts," eh?**

**DEDICATION****: For the lovely** becoafamu**. She's started her own crack pairing story collection that you guys should all go and read because it's funny and **_**awesome**_**, and she sent me a message asking me what the hell happened to "Blink" because she missed it. So I felt bad and decided to update "Blink" before "Unforgivable Sins." It's entirely thanks to her that this Fic is getting updated now instead of later. ^_^**

**NOTES****: This story takes place after Saix joins the Organization. Therefore, any OOC-ness on Saix's part is due to his newbie nerves. XD And along with the main Xigbar/Saix pairing, there's also a little bit of XemSai in here for Krystal. (HI KRYSTAL! ARE YOU READING THIS YET!?)**

**Sorry about the long Author's Note, but it's over now! Story time, yay!**

**PAIRING****: XIGBAR/SAIX**

**Idle Wishes**

_**Or, How Xigbar Lost His Eye**_

Xigbar groaned loudly when he got the summons to Xemnas' office. Being sent to the Big Guy Upstairs (as Xaldin had called him one time, after a particularly foul mission inside of a _whale_, of all places, and the name had stuck behind Xemnas' back ever since) was never a good thing.

Unless you'd just messed something up big time (in which case, you already knew why you were being sent to the Superior's office) it could only mean one thing.

Missions.

Or, as Xigbar thought of them in his head, "Go to this-or-that World and kill as many Heartless or humans as you can for our amazing, fantastic, absolutely perfect and beautiful Kingdom Hearts. Or at least, keep at it until you're about to fade into darkness from exhaustion, in which case, return to my office immediately so I can yell at you for being such a pussy."

Obviously, Xigbar much preferred lazing around the World That Never Was and doing nothing. Sure, it was dark, dreary, and perhaps a mite depressing, but he enjoyed walking on the ceilings. And practicing his shooting skills on the old, crumbling buildings in the Dark City, of course. And what could ever beat popping into the labs to scare the piss out of Vexen and perhaps blast a few of his test tubes into smithereens?

The Freeshooter swatted angrily at the Dusk that had sent him Xemnas' message until it spiraled away into the air, chirruping reproachfully at him. Cursing vehemently under his breath, Xigbar trudged off in the direction of Xemnas' office, taking the long, white marble spiral staircase instead of using a Dark Portal on purpose.

Of course, it would have taken a good hour to actually get to Xemnas' office just by taking the stairs, given the size of the Castle That Never Was. So after a few minutes Xigbar portalled to right outside the Superior's office door. He knew Xemnas would start having a major bitch-fit if he really did take an hour getting to him.

Flipping his silver-streaked black ponytail over his shoulder, Xigbar knocked twice on the tall marble door with the elaborate Roman Numeral "I" engraved into it. After hearing a curt "Enter" from within, he went inside, hoping against hope that Xemnas would give him a reconnaissance job. Those were pretty easy-Xigbar just lounged around on whatever World he was sent to for a few hours, then pulled a report out of his ass for Xemnas later on.

Xemnas was sitting behind his thick mahogany desk as usual, his hands steepled under his chin. Although he'd appeared deep in thought, the Superior looked up the moment Xigbar walked in to regard him with inscrutable (and really creepy) amber eyes. The Freeshooter was reminded once more of why, as a Somebody, he'd never liked Xehanort much to begin with.

"Ah, Xigbar," Xemnas said, in his usual deep, slow voice. "Finally. Do you know why I have called you up here today?"

"Uh…mission, sir?" Xigbar said, his own goldenrod eyes looking everywhere but Xemnas' face. The guy was scary and most likely more than a little insane. He always played these annoying cat and mouse games every time he summoned Xigbar to his office, as if Xigbar was stupid or something. Most likely the guy just enjoyed fucking with people's heads.

"A mission…of sorts," Xemnas continued, leaning back in his chair and smiling at the silver and black-haired man, teeth white in his dark face. "I'd like you to pick out a World, any World, and find the most powerful Heart there for our Kingdom Hearts. Take it, and report back to me immediately."

"R-Really, sir?" Xigbar asked, yellow eyes widening in surprise. That actually didn't sound too bad. He'd only have to get one big heart instead of a bunch of smaller ones, and then he could come right back home and sleep. That could be finished up in an hour, easy.

"D'you want me to leave right now?" He asked. The less time spent around the Superior, the better. And the more sanity retained.

"Not quite yet, II." Xemnas held out a gloved hand to stop Xigbar, who'd already been heading for the door. "I'd like you to take our newest member with you."

"Uh…what?"

Just then, the office door opened and another man poked his head inside. Xigbar recognized him as the Organization's newest member, Number VII. Xemnas had found him wandering in the darkness only a few weeks ago, and had been personally training him ever since. Xigbar hadn't seen the man since Xemnas had introduced him at a meeting just last week.

"You wanted to see me, Superior sir?" Number VII asked quietly.

"Yes, come in, VII." Xemnas lazily waved a gloved hand at the door, and the man stepped inside to stand next to Xigbar. The hood of his black Organization cloak was pulled up over his head, just as it had been at that meeting when he'd been introduced to the rest of the Nobodies. For some reason Xigbar felt a pang of irritation at this. He hadn't even known this man was even _here_ until recently, and he still didn't even know what he looked like!

"Xigbar, you remember meeting Saix, our Luna Diviner," said Xemnas, gesturing to the man standing next to Xigbar. "Saix, you remember Xigbar. He's Number II of this Organization, the Freeshooter."

"I remember," Saix said quietly, and Xigbar glanced at him. Although Saix's face was covered, Xigbar could see that the man was shorter than he was. The black leather of his cloak clung to his body, hiding nothing and showing off what had to be some powerful muscle underneath.

…Had he just been _checking out_ the new member?! Xigbar shook his head slightly to clear it. Sure, he hadn't slept with anyone in awhile, but he wasn't _desperate_…yet.

Xemnas was speaking again. "Xigbar, be sure to teach him well. He knows fighting well enough by now, but show him the arts of stealth and silence. He needs to learn discretion, also…when it would be better to run rather than to stay and fight."

Xigbar felt more than saw Saix stiffen next to him, and could imagine why. Xemnas had talked about the Freeshooter like he wasn't in the room many, many times by now. "Sure thing, boss," he said cheerfully. "We'll get going right now. C'mon, newbie."

Xigbar took Saix by the arm, feeling him stiffen even more from the sudden contact, and dragged him out of the office.

* * *

A few minutes later, after the two men had gathered enough supplies between them to suit a much bigger mission (Xigbar wasn't taking any chances, especially not with a newbie), they met in the Gray Room to leave. Xigbar noticed that Saix's hood was _still_ up, and felt even more irrationally irritated by this. As he held out an arm to form a Dark Portal, though, an idea popped into his head, and the Freeshooter let just the ghost of a smirk cross his features.

"Hey Saix," he said, lowering his arm, "you havin' any trouble with the portals?" Xigbar was hoping this was a given with new members…he himself had taken a week to learn how to form the dark corridors between Worlds when he'd first become a Nobody.

The shorter man didn't answer, but Xigbar took the rustling and shifting of his leather cloak, coupled with a slight turn of his head, as a "yes."

"Well, lemme tell ya a little trick to 'em." Xigbar clapped Saix on the shoulder, now grinning broadly. "Take off the hood."

"I-I'm not sure I'm quite comfortable with that…" Saix muttered, so quietly Xigbar almost didn't hear him.

"As if! Trust me, you can see waaay better with that thing off. Go ahead, try it." Xigbar again gave the man his most comforting grin, the one he knew said "You can trust me, I'm a great guy."

Despite what Zexion and Lexaeus were always telling him to the contrary, Xigbar knew his grin must have worked, because Number VII slowly, hesitantly lifted gloved hands to his hood and pushed it back.

Xigbar had to work very, very hard to keep from staring open-mouthed at Saix. He'd never seen someone so…_exotic_ before, not even back on his homeworld. The man had long, pale blue hair that reached down to his shoulders, and which shone sleekly despite the Gray Room's dull light. He had a very serious face for someone his age (Xigbar judged Saix to be in his mid-twenties, tops) and an X-shaped scar crossed the bridge of his nose. Xigbar, a man of no few scars himself, found himself wondering just how Number VII had gotten that mark.

But what really drew the older man's attention were Saix's eyes. They were a pale golden color, shining like liquid sunlight with an almost animalistic, predatory gleam. The Freeshooter had thought yellow to be a rare eye color, yet he, Xemnas, and now Saix all had eyes in shades of it. Though really, Saix's eyes were far nicer than either his own or the Superior's.

Xigbar now thought that it had been a _reeeeaaaallllyyyyy _long time since he'd slept with someone.

"Erm…" Number VII shifted a bit in front of Xigbar, snapping the gunman out of his thoughts. "Shouldn't we be going now?"

"Oh…oh yeah, we're leavin'. Sheesh, keep your pants on, dude!" Xigbar laughed, perhaps a bit too harshly in the wake of his last train of thought, and again clapped Saix on the shoulder. "Well, you know the drill. Just hold your arm out and concentrate. Focus on making a path, 'kay, new guy? Just think roads and traveling and all that shit, and before ya know it, a portal's right in front of you."

"Right…" Saix closed his eyes and screwed up his face in concentration, holding out a gloved hand into the air. A few minutes later, blackish-blue tendrils sprung from the ground, pushing out into space to create a corridor for the two to travel by.

Saix opened his eyes, which widened at the sight of a fully formed portal before him when previously he'd only been able to create wisps of dark energy. "I…I did it," he said, smiling and showing off what seemed to Xigbar to be abnormally large canine teeth. Still, the older man had gotten the chance to get a quick peek at Number VII's ass while his eyes had been closed, and had decided that there was no denying that the new guy was incredibly good looking despite the teeth. Had a great ass, too.

There was no denying it now…he wanted Saix in bed. The man reminded Xigbar of an untamed wild animal-a wolf, perhaps. He would probably make for one helluva night.

(In retrospect, Zexion had been absolutely correct when he'd described the gunman as "one kinky bastard.")

"Great job, Saix," said Xigbar, settling for giving the blue-haired man a grin of his own. "Now let's get goin'."

* * *

"How much further now, Number II?" Saix asked, after what Xigbar had judged to be at least fifteen minutes of walking silently through the dreary Betwixt and Between. He'd passed the time (and kept himself from ogling Number VII _too_ much) by counting the Nobody symbols that floated by them as they went. And as that was second only to watching paint dry in the "shit so boring I want to shoot my brains out with my own arrowguns" category, he was quite relieved that Saix seemed willing to talk now. The younger man's earlier silence as they'd gone through the portal had quickly destroyed any hopes for a fast courtship. Xigbar would have to _work_ to get this fine piece of ass into bed. And he was looking forward to the challenge.

"Not sure," he replied. "Another portal will pop up for us to go through when we get to a World. But you can go on for awhile in here before you see one. I remember, this one time-."

Xigbar was cut short by a sickening ripple that ran through Betwixt and Between, causing both men to lose their balance and stumble. A ripple that was, unfortunately, all too familiar to the Freeshooter. "Crap," he swore under his breath. Saix turned to look at him, brow furrowed in confusion.

"What is it?"

"Your portal's fallin' apart on us. It happens sometimes to beginners…you just don't have enough energy to make it stable yet. Happened to me the second time I used one. Problem is, you can get stuck in here easy. I was sittin' around this place for three days before I managed to summon up enough energy to make a portal back." Xigbar remembered all too well his time languishing in the area between the Worlds, watching the Nobody symbols float past and wondering if he'd ever get out.

Saix's face went pale. "But-but surely the Superior would-."

"There!" Xigbar interrupted him, pointing wildly at a bunch of blackish-blue tendrils that had appeared miraculously out of nowhere, heralding a portal's arrival. "We must've got to a World! And the timing couldn't have been better on that one, really…hurry up, Saix!" Xigbar grabbed Saix's arm and yanked the younger member through the new portal, the hems of their cloaks whipping through just as the corridor collapsed in on itself.

The two emerged on the creaking wooden deck of a ship beneath a midnight sky dotted with twinkling stars. A fat yellow moon hung low in the sky, and along with the paper lanterns already lighting up the deck, any convenient shadows that the pair could have used to hide were thoroughly obliterated. Below them the dark water lapped gently at the ship's hull. Altogether, the atmosphere was a peaceful one.

Looking around, Saix saw nothing on the deck that would give the older man beside him reason for his current behavior…cursing viciously and looking as if he'd quite like to hit something.

"Uh…Number II?" Saix asked, stepping away in case Xigbar did decide to hit him. "What's going on? Were we not supposed to go to this particular World for the mission?"

"It's not that," Xigbar hissed at him through clenched teeth. "Do you know what World this is?"

"No, the Superior hadn't gotten that far in my training."

"We're in _Neverland_!" Xigbar burst out, waving his arms wildly in the air. "Fucking Neverland! I hate this place! There's these crazy-ass pirates, and-."

"Ahoy there, bilge rats!" An imperious voice cut in before Xigbar could finish. Looking up, Saix saw a tall, extremely ugly man in a curly black wig and thin, heavily oiled black moustache. He wore a garish red coat with lacy white frills, and a hat with what had to be the biggest feather Saix had ever seen tucked in the band. His hand was resting on a saber at his side as he glared down his hooked nose at them, obviously not pleased to see the two Nobodies on his ship.

"I don't remember you two being on me ship before," the man continued, his beady little eyes narrowing. "What are you doing up on deck? How did you get here? Explain yourselves, before I force the both of you to walk the plank!" With that, he drew the saber, brandishing it at Xigbar and Saix.

"Uh…well…" His mind an inconvenient blank, Xigbar thrust his hands surreptitiously out behind his back, preparing to summon his weapons and attack if need be. He could sense the man's heart was tainted by Darkness, but it was still probably enough to satisfy Xemnas anyway.

"You picked us up at the last town, Captain." Saix's smooth voice cut through the tension as easily as a knife through butter. Xigbar's yellow eyes widened in shock at the newbie's quick thinking. "We showed interest in working aboard your ship…you are, after all, the most prominent and capable captain in this area. And you very kindly took us in." Saix allowed the tiniest of smirks to cross his face. "Or don't you remember?"

The red-coated man flushed an ugly shade of reddish purple that made him look to Xigbar as if he'd just eaten some of Vexen's cooking. Screwing up his eyes and nose in anger, he burst out, "Of-of course I remember! How _dare _you two question the great Captain Hook! Now get below and start swabbing out the hull straightaway!" The Captain flourished his saber at them before stomping through a door in the paneling behind him, which closed with a loud _slam_!

"Duuude." Xigbar turned to face his blue-haired companion. "That was _awesome_. How'd you know what to say to that guy?"

"Simple," was the response. "He was dressed in too much finery for an average pirate, so I knew he had to be a high-ranking officer on the ship or the Captain. After that, it was only a matter of appealing to his ego. Men like him think they are Heaven's gift to Man." Saix allowed himself another smirk. "It's that quality that I'm certain will be his downfall."

"Whoa, you're good." Xigbar thought now that Number VII was full of surprises. Not only was he easy on the eyes, but smart too. No wonder Xemnas had kept this one to himself for awhile before introducing him to the rest. "Anyway, we better get below deck before we get in trouble with Hook again or run into more pirates."

* * *

Under the ship's deck, it was a completely different place from up above. The only light came from slanted blue-white moonbeams spilling through tiny, poorly patched chinks in the space where hull met deck. This gave the area a shadowy, miserable gray look. Only a few barrels, boxes, and lengths of rope appeared to actually be stored below, and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs.

"Sheesh, when's the last time they cleaned down here, the freakin' Stone Age?" Xigbar muttered as he glanced around. "Well, let's get lookin' for that Heart already. Sooner we find it, sooner we can get the hell outta here."

Xigbar had only taken a few steps when he realized that Saix wasn't following him. Turning around, he saw the blue-haired man standing still as a statue, golden eyes flashing in the gloom. His teeth were bared in a snarl.

"Um…Saix?" Xigbar reached out to tap the Nobody's arm, wondering if he was having some sort of fit. "You OK?"

"Enemies!" Saix shouted, whirling around as a mass of Pirate Heartless erupted from the graying floorboards, yellow eyes and cutlasses menacing in the dust and darkness. Xigbar watched as his companion held out a gloved hand and summoned a huge spiked claymore, easily as long as he was tall and probably just as heavy, and hefted it with ease.

"As if," Xigbar muttered, summoning his own arrowguns. "These guys are nothin'."

Yelling like banshees, the two men leapt into battle, attacking with the whirlwind frenzy that often accompanies frustrating missions. Xigbar felled groups of Heartless with every shot of glowing purple arrows, spinning and jumping to keep them from getting too close. Periodically he warped to the ceiling in order to get in better shots, laughing and shouting with reckless abandon as he did. If by chance a Heartless did get in close, they were quickly reduced to smoke with a powerful blow from the arrowguns' frames.

Meanwhile, Saix was proving himself a more-than capable fighter over and over again with every swing of his claymore. The Diviner swung his weapon with expert precision, reducing Heartless to nothingness with every blow. Occasionally, and with a loud shout of warning, he and the claymore would pulse blue with energy and smash through the Pirates' ranks, absolutely decimating all in his way.

There were only a few Heartless left when Xigbar felt an itch in his left eye. He rubbed at it, annoyed, as he fired off another round of arrows. But the itch only returned a few seconds later, now accompanied by an irritating burn. The Freeshooter felt his eye start to water up around it, his sight going blurry.

While most Nobodies would have simply continued to fight through mild discomfort such as this, Xigbar needed both his eyes in good working in order to use his guns. Careful aim was very important so that no arrows would be wasted in a shot and the maximum number of enemies could be brought down.

Sighing with aggravation, Xigbar warped away to behind a barrel in the corner to try and rub out whatever had got caught in his eye in relative peace. "Yo, Saix," he called out. "Can you kill Heartless on your own for a minute? I got something in my eye…must be dust or an eyelash or something…" Xigbar furiously rubbed at the yellow orb.

Saix, who had been caught up in the rush of battle, had apparently not been paying any attention to Xigbar at all. "Huh?" He grunted, whirling around to face the Freeshooter.

Unfortunately for Xigbar, Saix had a Pirate Heartless speared on one of the spikes at the end of his claymore, which he'd been about to smash into oblivion against the ship's hull. But when he turned around, the Heartless flew off the end of the weapon and straight towards Xigbar, its silver cutlass extended.

The gunman's eyes widened in shock. "Oh shi-." He managed to get out, before the end of the cutlass embedded itself into his already irritated left eye, and his entire head was wracked with pain.

Although Xemnas had given Saix an overview of what an injured Nobody would look and act like, the blue-haired man had never actually thought he would see a member of the Organization get hurt. Hell, they were the most intelligent Nobodies in the multiverse! The cream of the crop! The best of the best! There was no way in hell some stupid Heartless could bring any of them down!

But seeing Xigbar doubled over in pain behind a dusty old barrel, clutching at his face and screaming profanity that Saix had never even heard before, was enough to change his mind. The Pirate Heartless, apparently sensing that the only thing worse than an angry Nobody was an angry, _injured_ Nobody, dropped the cutlass and vanished in a pool of shadows into the floorboards. Its cutlass disappeared in a puff of dark smoke a moment later, giving Saix an excellent (and entirely unwanted) view of Xigbar's injured eye, now an angry red with inky black darkness streaming out of it.

"FUCK!" Xigbar howled. "Saix, we gotta get the hell back to the Castle, now!"

"But…the mission…and…" Saix glanced around at the Heartless still emerging from the shadows and advancing on them, yellow eyes shining eagerly, as if they sensed easy prey.

"Screw the mission! I'm fucking bleeding over here! Let's go already!"

Saix wasn't sure what it was, but something made him ignore the primal instincts humming through his body, yelling at him to ignore Xigbar and go back to slaughtering Heartless. Shaking his head to clear it, the Diviner ran to the older Nobody, swinging his claymore to fend off the creatures in his way. He dove behind the barrel and grabbed Xigbar's arms, draping them over his shoulders and helping the gunman stand up. Saix then held out his hand and concentrated for all he was worth to form a Dark Corridor. He practically collapsed in relief upon seeing the familiar black tendrils emerge from the hull and spread out to create a portal.

Saix half dragged, half carried Xigbar through the portal, casting Fira at a few Heartless that had decided to grab onto the ends of his cloak and incinerating them. The portal closed behind them just as Xigbar shouted, "You see? You see why I fucking _hate_ Neverland now?!"

* * *

Saix didn't see Xigbar again until a few days later. While wandering about the Castle, he ran into the gunman sitting on a balcony outside one of the higher towers, looking up at the sky. His left eye was covered by a black eyepatch.

Saix hung back behind a nearby pillar, wondering if he should approach the older Nobody or not. After all, it had sort of been his fault that Xigbar lost his eye in the first place. Xemnas, however, had seemed to have taken some sort of odd liking to him, and had merely patted him on the head and told him not to worry about it, that these sorts of things happened all the time with rookie Nobodies. (Saix doubted that, as none of the others were missing body parts.)

"You can come on out, newbie, I know you're there," Xigbar called, without even turning around.

Blushing slightly at having been discovered so easily, Saix joined the Freeshooter out on the balcony. "Um…I'm really sorry…" he stammered, finding the cold white marble balcony railing immensely more interesting than Xigbar's face.

"Hey, don't worry about it." A now-familiar clap on the shoulder caused Saix to look up and into the older Nobody's remaining yellow eye, twinkling now with suppressed laughter. "Vexen stopped the bleeding quick enough, and I stole this awesome eyepatch from the pirates before we left, so it's no big deal."

"But still…how will you be able to shoot your arrowguns now?"

"Eh, I still got a couple tricks up my sleeve. Don't worry about me, Saix, I can take care of myself alright."

After a long silence, during which Xigbar hummed some nonsensical tune while gazing up at the flat black sky and Saix examined his boots, the elder man finally spoke again. "Hey, you ever heard the old story about eyelashes?"

"Uh, no," said Saix, starting to wonder now if the Pirate Heartless had damaged some part of Xigbar's brain in addition to his eye. "What about them?"

Xigbar chuckled, shaking his head. "Can't believe you've never heard the old eyelash myth, dude…I thought everyone knew it by now." Saix's own golden eyes widened as he felt the cloth of Xigbar's glove brush his cheek oh-so-gently, coming away with a tiny, pale hair on the fingertip.

"If one of your eyelashes comes off, you're supposed to blow it away and make a wish," said Xigbar, still with a huge grin on his face and leaning in a bit closer.

Saix found himself thinking, with no small amount of shock, that Xigbar actually looked kind of nice out here on the balcony. The silver in his hair seemed to glow slightly, and the white of his teeth offset his dark eyepatch so that he almost seemed to glow slightly. Even his scars seemed to make his face look more rugged and lean.

Saix closed his eyes and gently blew the eyelash away.

"So what'd you wish for, dude? C'mon, you can tell me."

Looking down again at his boots and blushing furiously, Saix stammered, "I-I wished that we could take this conversation somewhere a little more…private."

Xigbar's smile actually seemed to widen, if that were at all possible. "As if," he muttered, leaning in and giving Saix a quick kiss on the cheek. "Let's take this to my room."

**Author's Note****: I'm eighteen years old, and I still wish on eyelashes when I see them. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the prompt. :3**

**Plus, I just love thinking of a sweet, innocent newbie Saix wishing on eyelashes with Xigbar…it's so cute! -squee squee-**

**I am also now halfway done with "Blink." Oh yay, I'm gonna finish another Fic! ^^**

**I spent the entire month of October with this story languishing on my computer, working on it in bits and pieces. And now that it's **_**finally**_** done…please review? It would make Saix Puppy very, very happy if you did!**

**REVIEW CORNER**** Thanks for Reviewing: **silentmusic16**,** moon maiden of time

**~LWD~**


	8. Forbidden

**Author's Notes:**** Could it…could it actually be? It is! An update! **

**I'll be updating more regularly now that the semester's over, actually. That means "Blink" and "Equipoise" will be updated as much as I can manage until college starts up again in the fall. Then I'll go back to random, sporadic updating as my schedule permits. (Go me! :D) **

**According to the list I made, the pairing for this story would be Xaldin/Pence, and the prompt was "forbidden." I worked really, really hard to make that into a story that involved no pedophilia. Here's hoping I've succeeded!**

**NOTES:**** This Fic takes place sometime during **_358/2 Days_**. Also, this Fic changes POV a lot between Xaldin and Pence. Each POV change is signified with a page break.**

**DISCLAIMER:**** This disclaimer is brought to you today by the author's Sora, Roxas, and mini-Cloud plushies, who would like to remind you that she does not own "Kingdom Hearts!" Thank you, and have a great day!**

**WARNINGS:**** Really mild pedophilia, I suppose. Depends on how you look at it. But this story has nothing really creepy like child molestation, or rape/dub-con, or anything like that. I don't write that kind of stuff. Also, some gore.**

**Yeah, I'm done babbling now. On to the story!**

**PAIRING****: Xaldin/Pence**

**Forbidden**

Xaldin had been a member of Organization XIII since the very beginning. He was one of the Original Six Nobodies who had helped found it. After all this time living as a heartless shell of the person he had once been, all of the Organization's rules and regulations were engraved permanently into his memory. Xaldin knew all of the consequences there were for breaking a rule. He'd seen the horrific punishments Xemnas dealt out to members who went against him, and against Organization XIII.

Unlike some of the other Nobodies, even among the Original Six, Xaldin wasn't careless. He knew it was foolish to assume that one could get away with breaking a rule. The Superior had eyes and ears everywhere, and he would eventually find you out. That was how Xigbar and Saix had acquired some of their nastier scars, after all. Xaldin, on the other hand, wanted to survive long enough to get his heart back. And if that meant listening to everything he was told to do and not to do, no matter how foolish or inane it sounded, then he'd do it.

The biggest rule that a Nobody could break, and the one that carried the harshest punishment along with it, was simple: Unless it pertains to a mission, do not _ever_, under any circumstances, interact with the inhabitants on any world. It was engraved in simple black script onto the walls of the Gray Room back at the Castle That Never Was, where the missions were given out. There was no chance of anyone ever forgetting it when it was staring them in the face like that, day in and day out.

Xaldin had never, in his wildest dreams, ever thought that he might break that rule. Never before had he been tempted to speak with anybody that he saw on any world that he visited. He stayed among the shadows, as invisible as the wind he controlled, and completed the missions he was given each day. Then he promptly returned to the Castle, not sparing a single thought for the locals he'd seen.

But that was before he met the boy with the brown eyes.

* * *

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Xemnas had given him the task of stealing the heart of the Beast. That way, the Organization could gain control of the powerful Heartless and Nobody that would surely result. But before he could even make contact with the Beast, Xaldin had to go on a series of scouting missions around the Beast's Castle. He needed to learn the lay of the land, so to speak. It would make his mission much easier if he knew where he was going, and where to hide if he needed to.

During one of these excursions, as Xaldin was checking out the castle's basement, a Darkside Heartless rose from a particularly dense patch of shadow to his left and started to attack. Darkside Heartless were massive-easily the height of a small skyscraper back in The World That Never Was-but they went down quick enough once you got used to their predictable pattern of attack. Xaldin easily weakened the creature after a few well-placed blows with his six bladed lances, and was expecting an easy battle.

That is, until a horde of Snapper Dogs and Neoshadows appeared from around a corner and charged straight at him.

Xaldin was a powerful fighter, but he doubted that even Xemnas himself could have taken on a Darkside, five Neoshadows, and three Snapper Dogs all at the same time. After a few minutes of futile fighting on Xaldin's part, he had no choice but to retreat. Unfortunately, the Heartless were determined not to make it easy for him. The creatures saw Nobodies as competition for the hearts they so desperately craved, and would attack them without any provocation on sight. It seemed that Xaldin couldn't get away from their relentless teeth and claws long enough to form a Dark Portal and escape. He sustained a particularly bad injury when a Snapper Dog got hold of the hem of his cloak, allowing the Darkside and a Neoshadow to rake their claws across his torso, slicing apart more of his cloak and tearing his skin to ribbons.

Finally, Xaldin was able to blow the Snapper Dog away with a great burst of wind, although the creature still held half of his cloak clamped between its jaws. Seeing a little alcove, he managed to duck into it and escape the rest of the Heartless for a moment. His vision blurring and swaying, Xaldin used the last of his strength to summon a Dark Portal and throw himself into it.

He emerged in a little alleyway behind two buildings, which was empty save for Xaldin and a few old wooden crates. Looking up at the sky, the Nobody could see the sun balanced on the horizon, its rays staining the sky a deep yellow-orange.

That meant he was in Twilight Town. Just his luck that in his weakened state, he couldn't make a Dark Portal that would take him back to the World That Never Was like he wanted it to.

Too exhausted from his injuries to move, let alone try creating another Portal, Xaldin slumped against one of the alley's walls and passed out.

* * *

It had not been a good day for Pence.

He had gone all over Twilight Town, investigating the strange events that the townspeople talked about seeing or experiencing. Privately, Pence called these events the "Seven Wonders of Twilight Town." But when he'd started to dig a little deeper, probing and poking into each of the "wonders," he'd found them all to have not-so-wonderful explanations.

The bag that seemed to hop around with a mind of its own up on Sunset Hill turned out to be someone's pet dog stuck in a garbage sack. The mysterious howling that people sometimes heard down in the tram tunnels had been Vivi practicing for the upcoming summer Struggle fight. The rubber ball that seemed to fly out a solid brick wall was a little girl playing a trick on passersby. (She'd threatened to _bite_ Pence too, if he ever told anyone it had been her, the crazy kid.)

The worst part of it was, everyone in town seemed to think Pence was nuts for even bothering with Twilight Town's "Seven Wonders" in the first place. The people of Twilight Town were nothing if not practical, and despite sharing many of the same strange experiences, they were loathe to admit any supernatural origin to them. Even Pence's best friends were considerably less than sympathetic about his investigations. Hayner had thought the idea of Twilight Town having anything even remotely supernatural was stupid from the start. When Pence came back to the Usual Spot late that afternoon, not having captured anything more exciting on his camera than a blurred picture of the sky from when the dog had knocked him over and accidentally set it off, Hayner had simply rolled his eyes and grinned in triumph. _"Just face it, Pence, you're not gonna find anything special in a little town like this. You should've helped me practice for the Struggle Tournament today instead."_

Olette's eyes had been soft, and she looked like she was going to say something, but then the bells of the clock tower started to chime six and they all had to scramble to get home before dinner.

Well, at least Pence was almost at his house now, and his terrible day would soon be at an end. Plus, his mom was making spaghetti for dinner tonight. Nothing could cheer him up like his mom's cooking. Just thinking about it made Pence smile a little in anticipation.

His smile quickly turned to an expression of utmost horror and shock as he rounded the corner and saw what was in the alleyway in front of him.

The little back alley at the outskirts of Twilight Town's business district was a place Pence passed every evening on his way home, usually without sparing it a second glance. Nobody in their right minds would ever hang out so close to the shops, where so many adults were around. Shopkeepers occasionally tossed the odd bit of trash back there, but for the most part it was a place that was largely ignored.

Today, however, there was a man in the alley, slumped unconscious against the side of a building amongst some old crates. He was wearing a hooded black leather coat, only the hood had fallen backwards to reveal his face. The coat itself was slashed and torn in many places, as if a wild animal had got hold of it at some point. And the unconscious man himself didn't look much better. Huge cuts crisscrossed his arms, and a set of horizontal gashes stretched across his torso, in the spots where his coat had been torn away. These wounds were all leaking a strange black fluid in place of blood that seemed to rise, mist-like, into the air before disappearing.

Pence blinked once, twice, three times. He rubbed his eyes. Then he pinched himself, hard, to make sure he wasn't already at home, asleep, and was simply dreaming all this up. But the strange man was still there.

Pence looked around. All of the nearby stores were already closed up for the evening. At the moment, he was the only person in the business district. Nervously, as if the black-clad man might suddenly wake up and attack him, Pence went to his side. Looking at him more closely, Pence could see that this person, whoever he was, was even stranger than Pence had first thought him to be.

For starters, there was his clothing. Besides the ruined coat, he was also wearing black boots and gloves. This close to summer, it usually got pretty warm out during the afternoon hours. Nobody dressed all in black leather unless they wanted to faint from the heat. The man's hair was also black, and very long, styled into dreadlocks that were tied back into a high ponytail. Besides the dreadlocks, he also boasted the most impressive sideburns Pence had seen in his life. They almost looked like they were eating his cheeks.

Pence didn't know why he should be afraid of an unconscious man, but he was terrified of this one. His heart was pounding so loudly in his chest, he was sure the stranger would hear it and wake up. And yet, he couldn't just leave him. This man was still alive-his chest was still rising and falling faintly underneath the remains of his coat. And Pence was currently the only one around who could help him. No one lived in the business district, which meant that no one would hear Pence if he yelled for help. And it wasn't like he could just leave an injured, possibly dying man _alone_… His only choice was to try and get the man conscious and walking so they could get to the residential district, and from there find someone to take them to the hospital.

Not to mention that weird misty black stuff. Pence had never seen anything like that before, not even that time when Hayner had cut open his arm on a railing while skateboarding and there was blood _everywhere_. He wasn't even sure that black, misty stuff existed inside a normal human body. What was wrong with this man?

Pence went to the stranger's side and looked for a part of him that wasn't covered in black mist. Finally, he settled for shaking his shoulder. "Um…sir? Excuse me?" Pence whispered. "Can you get up?"

* * *

Xaldin shifted against the wall and moaned, clenching his teeth in agony. Damn, he hurt _everywhere_. He couldn't remember hurting this much since his heart had been torn from him all those years ago. He often thought it unfortunate that pain was one of the few things a Nobody could still feel, as it most definitely was _not _an emotion.

"…sir? Sir! Please, you have to wake up!" Hold on a moment. There was someone there…talking to him? Shoving at him, too, if the hands Xaldin felt at his shoulder were any indication.

With a supreme effort, as his eyelids felt like they'd been cemented together, Xaldin managed to crack his eyes open. The world swam blearily into focus before him.

…There was a boy. A boy was crouched in front of him, peering worriedly into his eyes. A heavyset child, and by the looks of him, perhaps close in age to the Organization's Number XIII. He had a very round, innocent face, with black hair that spiked up in every direction like a patch of weeds and was kept off of his forehead by a headband. The child was dressed like an average inhabitant of Twilight Town as well: baggy jeans, blue and white sneakers, long sleeved shirt, red jersey with some kind of logo on it, and a purple kerchief around his neck. But it wasn't his clothing or hairstyle that caught Xaldin's attention.

The boy's eyes were a deep, rich brown in color, and right now were filled with worry and concern. Xaldin couldn't remember the last time anyone had been worried about him. He hardly even remembered what it felt like to be worried himself. For the last ten years or so, Xaldin had been surrounded only by the dead, empty eyes of his fellow Nobodies. But this boy's eyes were filled with emotion, and over a Nobody, no less. Their softness made Xaldin suddenly think of a puppy he'd once owned, back when he was still Dilan and a young boy on Radiant Garden. That thought, and how out of place it was right now, when he was gravely injured, made him crack a wry smile. The smile quickly turned to a wince, though, because it made his face hurt.

The boy who was hovering above him, broke into a wide grin of his own. "You're awake!" He cried. There was a gentle tugging on the sleeve of Xaldin's coat. "Can you stand? I need to get you to the hospital right away. You're hurt…"

Xaldin's eyes widened. A hospital would be filled with humans, who would all quickly discover that he was anything but. Letting the ordinary inhabitants of any world the Organization visited find out about Nobodies or the Organization in general was a cause for swift and harsh punishment, no matter what your rank was. Xaldin didn't know what scared him more, the people of Twilight Town finding out that he was a Nobody, or what Xemnas would do to him if he let that happen. And fear, being an instinct rather than an emotion, was definitely something Nobodies could still feel.

Xaldin shook his head at the boy, hoping he'd take the hint and go away. He was still too weak to create a Dark Portal or use his wind element, otherwise he'd have left this place as soon as he was conscious.

"Hey, c'mon." Damn the little pest. Now he was shrugging Xaldin's right arm over his shoulders, trying to help the Nobody get on his feet. Xaldin shook his head again, but the boy was still pulling at him insistently. Well, he certainly won points for persistence…not that that could actually make Xaldin want to be near him.

There was nothing for it. He would have to talk to the brat, or he wouldn't get any peace until another member of the Organization found him. Which could take awhile, since Xaldin wasn't even on the same world he'd originally been sent out to. And if the boy ran off to get help from someone else, the Nobody wasn't in any position to stop him…

"Leave me," Xaldin rasped out. His throat felt like sandpaper from so many hours without water. "Just go home."

"I couldn't do that!" The boy cried. "You're cut up really bad…I can't just leave you here like this!"

Xaldin hissed loudly through clenched teeth. He shut his eyes tightly as a wave of nausea swept over him, and he tried desperately not to throw up. "It will be very bad for you if you're caught helping me. You have to let me alone…"

* * *

Something in the stranger's voice made Pence step back. The man's face was contorted in pain, and he clutched at his stomach, where black mist flowed from the gashes there. A strange look filled his midnight-blue eyes…not quite desperation, but something very, very close to it. "What-" Pence whispered, not even quite sure what he was going to say.

The man cut him off. "Please."

Pence couldn't have known, but it was the first time Xaldin had used the word since becoming a Nobody.

Something about the man's voice as he said that word confirmed Pence's suspicions. He'd finally found something truly wondrous in Twilight Town. This man was completely and utterly beyond a normal, rational explanation. Maybe that was what Pence had been looking for all along. And now, he wished that he hadn't even bothered to search in the first place.

The teenager suddenly felt strangely sorry for the man before him. He must have been beyond whatever help a hospital could offer, if he wouldn't even try to get to one in his state.

Perhaps that was why Pence, acting on a sudden impulse, leaned forward and kissed the stranger on the forehead, just like his mother did to him when he got hurt.

The man's eyes opened wide. His hands unclenched from around his gut and dropped to his sides. He stared at Pence, as if he couldn't believe that the boy was real.

Pence turned and ran as fast as he could for home.

* * *

Xaldin spent all night slumped against the wall in the alleyway, trying to stem the flow of matter out of him by pressing his gloves against his wounds. At some point, the amount of black mist started to slow, which meant that his body was healing. That meant he didn't have to worry about fading away. Not yet.

Although he knew that his injuries should be his primary concern right now, Xaldin couldn't stop thinking about that boy. The feel of his lips, soft and gentle against Xaldin's forehead, lingered for what seemed like hours. The last time anyone had kissed Xaldin like that, out of pure concern for him and nothing else, had been his mother over a decade ago back in Radiant Garden. Xaldin hadn't thought that there would be anyone who would care about him while he was a Nobody.

Xigbar found him some hours later, when it must have been close to dawn. It was impossible for Xaldin to tell the time in a world where the sun never actually set. Luckily, the gunman appeared in the very same alleyway Xaldin was in. "Whoa," he said, yellow eyes widening as he took in the state of Xaldin's coat and his injuries. "Dude, what happened to you?"

"Heartless," Xaldin grunted. "A whole horde of the damned things."

"Shit," Xigbar said, "we better get you back to the Castle, then. Oh, and the bossman wants to speak to you about your mission, so report to him before you do anything else, OK?"

Xaldin nodded once, tersely, as Xigbar helped him to his feet. The pair limped over to a Dark Portal that the gunman created, and vanished inside. It was as if they had never even been to Twilight Town at all.

The Organization had already lost almost half of its number after what happened at Castle Oblivion. It is for that reason, and that reason alone, that Xaldin was not punished for breaking the Organization's most major rule. As Xemnas explained to the dark-haired Nobody upon his return, they could not afford to punish him when he already needed to take time off to recuperate from his injuries.

After he recovered, Xaldin was kept very busy with various missions. He was never sent on a mission to Twilight Town, and he didn't have the time to visit the world at his leisure. Although Xaldin desperately wanted to at least see the wild-haired teenager who'd helped him at least one more time, he simply wasn't given an opportunity to.

Every single night until the time he is felled by the Keyblade, Xaldin dreams of a boy with a round, innocent face and sweet, soft brown puppy dogs, and he wakes in the morning to the feeling of soft lips against his forehead.

_~fin~_

**Author's Note****: I…I think I just made Xaldin/Pence canon. :O**

**REVIEW CORNER**** Thanks for Reviewing: **becoafamu, moon maiden of time

**Reviews are lovely. **


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